Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — An upward revision to Canada’s 2015-16 canola crop was widely anticipated in the industry, but Statistics Canada’s latest survey results have surpassed even the most optimistic forecasts — and will lead to major adjustments in the country’s supply/demand balance sheet. StatsCan on Friday pegged the year’s canola production at 17.2 million tonnes, […] Read more
Huge Canadian canola crop beats expectations
Bigger crops anticipated ahead of StatsCan report
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– Canada’s harvest ended up better than expected in 2015-16, with upward revisions expected for the country’s wheat and canola production when Statistics Canada releases its latest survey data Friday. “It turns out that the crop didn’t suffer as much in Alberta and Saskatchewan,” said Jerry Klassen, manager of the Canadian office for […] Read more
Dreyfus family members reported asking to be bought out
Reading Time: < 1 minute London | Reuters –– Members of the founding family of Louis Dreyfus Commodities have asked the majority shareholder of the commodities trader to buy out most of their stake, Britain’s Financial Times newspaper reported Sunday. Quoting sources familiar with the situation, the newspaper said the family members had informed Margarita Louis-Dreyfus of their intention to […] Read more
Low ocean freight rates likely to stick around
Reading Time: 3 minutes CNS Canada –– Ocean freight rates are at some of their lowest levels ever and will likely stay that way for at least the next two years, according to an industry analyst. “We’re near hitting bottom, but just because we hit bottom it doesn’t mean we won’t scrape along it for awhile,” said Jay O’Neil, […] Read more
Slimmer harvest yields faster deliveries from railways
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– A year ago, Western Canada’s shortline railways were struggling to meet commitments, but this year’s smaller grain production has reduced the stress on rail transporters. “There’s no shortage of cars, and there’s no problems in shipping,” said Sheldon Affleck, president of Regina-based shortline Big Sky Rail. A year ago, rail companies struggled […] Read more
Nufarm to shut Calgary herbicide plant
Reading Time: 2 minutes Crop chemical manufacturer Nufarm plans to make its North American business more “cost-effective” by shutting its plant in Calgary and shipping the production work to Chicago. The “rationalization” in Calgary, expected to be complete by next fall, “will allow us to increase flexibility, reduce complexity and more efficiently utilize our facilities,” Nufarm manufacturing group executive Elbert […] Read more
Canpotex sees terminal expansion decision late next year
Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg | Reuters — The new chief executive of Canpotex expects the Canadian potash trader to decide around late 2016 where to expand West Coast terminal capacity, a move that could give it a faster route to Chinese buyers in a highly competitive market. Options include building a $775 million terminal at Prince Rupert, B.C., […] Read more
Baltic Dry Index hits record low
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Baltic Dry Index fell to its lowest levels ever on Friday, which bodes well for the competitiveness of Canadian grain exports. The BDI, a gauge of global ocean freight prices, was quoted Friday at 498 points — the first time the index dipped below 500 since records began in 1985. The index was trading […] Read more
FarmLink picks up mobile management app
Reading Time: < 1 minute A Saskatchewan-developed, cloud-based mobile app for farm management is being uploaded into Prairie grain marketing consultancy FarmLink Marketing Solutions. Winnipeg-based FarmLink announced Tuesday it will merge Farm At Hand, the software platform developed by Kim Keller and Himanshu Singh, into its operations. Financial terms of the merger weren’t released. “It has long been our belief […] Read more
Running rights on table in CP bid for Norfolk Southern
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) says it hopes to unclog one of the most infamous rail traffic bottlenecks in the U.S. with a bid to buy railway Norfolk Southern. Confirming a recent news report on its plans, CP announced Tuesday it has sent an offer letter to Virginia-based NS. The Calgary company didn’t disclose any financial […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
