Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian National Railway’s (CN) fourth-quarter and full-year ledgers show lower traffic, but increased revenue, from its grain and fertilizer business in 2015, en route to record full-year earnings. Montreal-based CN on Tuesday reported overall net income of $3.538 billion on $12.611 billion in total revenues for 2015, up from $3.167 billion on $12.134 billion for […] Read more
CN’s 2015 grain handle down, grain revenue up
CP books more Prairie grain revenue at year-end
Reading Time: 2 minutes Higher grain revenue on Canada’s Prairies helped lead to record full-year revenues and offset a lower fourth-quarter gross for Canadian Pacific Railway (CP), as the company warned of substantial job cuts ahead. The railway on Thursday reported overall net income of $1.352 billion on record revenue of $6.712 billion for 2015, down from $1.476 billion […] Read more
Ocean freight cost index breaks another floor
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) continues its downward slide, dropping below 400 points for the first time ever as ocean freight rates struggle to find their bottom. The BDI was quoted at 394 points on Wednesday, marking a new low since records began in 1985. The index was trading above 1,200 as […] Read more
Flax prices see upward bump on increased demand
Reading Time: 1 minute CNS Canada –– Foreign demand has picked up in the flax market, according to a grain brokerage firm — and despite increased competition, Canadian prices have seen a slight uptick as limited quality flax is available. Old-crop flax prices have increased slightly since harvest, as farmers have been firm on sales, and demand has picked […] Read more
Salford buys tillage equipment maker AerWay
Reading Time: 2 minutes Southwestern Ontario vertical tillage and pasture equipment maker AerWay has become part of another well-known Ontario ag equipment manufacturer. Salford Group announced in December it has bought the AerWay advanced aeration products line from the Canadian trailer systems arm of German truck, bus and trailer axle and suspension manufacturer SAF-Holland. AerWay, which operates a manufacturing […] Read more
Campbell Soup to label U.S. products for GMOs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Campbell Soup said it will label all its U.S. products for the presence of ingredients derived from genetically modified organisms, becoming the first major food company to respond to growing calls for more transparency about ingredients. The world’s largest soup maker also said it supports the enactment of federal legislation for a single […] Read more
CN, CP both over revenue limits for 2014-15 grain haul
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada’s big two railways will both be required to hand over seven figures in Prairie grain revenue from the 2014-15 crop year after taking in more than their federally-allowed maximums. The Canadian Transportation Agency on Tuesday ruled Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway (CN, CP) exceeded their grain revenue entitlements for the crop year […] Read more
Trends for 2016: Pulses expected to steal acres from cereals
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Canadian farmers are expected to seed more pulse crops at the expense of cereals in 2016, according to early projections from industry experts looking at current market trends. “Definitely we’ll see an increase in pulse crop acreage,” said Bruce Burnett, weather and crop specialist at G3 Canada. Lentils and peas are seeing […] Read more
Wild bees seen dwindling in main U.S. crop regions
Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — Wild bees, crucial pollinators for many crops, are on the decline in some of the main agricultural regions of the U.S., according to scientists who produced the first national map of bee populations and identified numerous trouble spots. The researchers on Monday cited 139 counties as especially worrisome, with wild bee […] Read more
Saskatchewan farmland off limits for pension plans next month
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters/Staff — New rules for buying farmland in Saskatchewan, Canada’s biggest wheat- and canola-growing province, will take effect Jan. 4, and toughen its ban on pension plans investing, the provincial government said Monday. The changes make more explicit an existing ban on pension plans and trusts from buying land and continue to limit purchases of […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
