Reading Time: 2 minutes CORRECTED, March 30, 2016 — Reuters — Deere and Co. said on Tuesday it has acquired a majority stake in Hagie Manufacturing, allowing the farm equipment manufacturer to take a greater position the high-clearance sprayer market. High-clearance sprayers, which allow farmers to spray fertilizers and pesticides in-crop later in the growing season, are “a new market for […] Read more
Deere buys stake in U.S. sprayer maker Hagie
Bulletproof the farm
Extreme weather, volatile markets, government regulations, financial strains... The bullets are flying and they’re aimed straight at your farm. Here’s how Melvin Penner at H&M Farms is fighting back
Reading Time: 10 minutes Snow pelts the metal siding so hard it rattles, but inside the farm shop, it’s warm with work and energy. Lined up in various stages of maintenance are a truck, tractor and corn planter, while in the corner, pouring over their field maps, the three owners of H&M Farms near Altona, Man., discuss the upcoming […] Read more
Environment commissioner criticizes neonic registrations
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s official environmental watchdog on Tuesday expressed concern that authorities were allowing the long-term use of pesticides linked to bee deaths despite not having enough information about the products. Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) can grant a five-year provisional license to some products to give manufacturers time to provide […] Read more
Noble exits ag markets with unit sale to China’s COFCO
Reading Time: 2 minutes New York | Reuters –– Noble Group said Tuesday it has agreed to sell its remaining 49 per cent stake in its agribusiness to China’s state-owned COFCO International, exiting agricultural markets as the Asian commodity merchant seeks to slash debt and shore up cash. The $750 million cash deal will hand COFCO full ownership of […] Read more
Legumex Walker shareholders approve sale
Reading Time: 2 minutes Shareholders in Prairie special crops processor Legumex Walker have voted to take a deal for their company’s assets from U.S. grain firm Scoular. Winnipeg-based Legumex reported Monday that shareholders representing just over 76 per cent of its stock have voted 99.6 per cent in favour of selling the company’s special crops division to the Scoular […] Read more
DuPont in talks with rivals about agribusiness
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — DuPont is talking to rivals about its agriculture business, interim CEO Edward Breen said Tuesday, less than a week after Dow Chemical announced a review of its farm chemicals and seeds unit. Falling crop prices and rising fertilizer output have triggered talk of consolidation among farm-focused companies. DuPont has been touted as a […] Read more
ADM increases stake in Wilmar
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grains trader Archer Daniels Midland has increased its stake in Wilmar International of Singapore, in its latest bid to expand in Asia. ADM’s purchases represented about 22 per cent of Wilmar shares traded on Singapore’s exchange on Tuesday, Wilmar said in a regulatory filing. Wilmar shares reached their highest price […] Read more
Man. sunflower harvest set to start
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — Manitoba farmers will soon be harvesting this year’s sunflower crop, and early expectations look good despite some areas of concern. There are certain areas of the province where the sunflowers are starting to break down due to disease or weather issues, said Anastasia Kubinec, an oilseed specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and […] Read more
Legumex to sell processing plants, wind down company
Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg | Reuters –– Prairie special crops firm Legumex Walker said Monday it has agreed to sell its pulse and special crop processing plants and expects to sell its U.S. canola-crushing facility, allowing it to wind down the company. Winnipeg-based Legumex plans to sell its special crops division, which includes 14 plants in Canada, the […] Read more
Lower loonie to boost U.S. demand for sunflowers
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — Manitoba sunflowers are looking better than they have in recent years, despite minor pest pressure, in one agronomist’s view — and a lower Canadian dollar could be useful for producers looking to sell. Sunflower prices aren’t seeing a lot of movement right now, but demand is good — and with a lower […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
