Phil Franz-Warkentin

Reading Time: < 1 minute (Resource News International) — An explosion over the weekend at the Associated Proteins canola crusher at Ste. Agathe, Man., damaged the processing equipment at the plant, which is expected to put crushing operations on hold for at least a month. Associated Proteins CEO Peter Kozicz confirmed Monday there was an explosion in one of the […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes (Resource News International) — Rail transportation of grain in Western Canada needs less regulation, not more, the country’s two major railway companies say in response to claims that they make excessive profits at the expense of farmers. A study conducted on behalf of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) and released Tuesday charged that Canadian National […] Read more

Reading Time: 3 minutes (Resource News International) — Demand for Canadian canola meal remains strong, industry watchers say — despite the fact that there’s more of the canola crushing byproduct to go around. While the record pace of Canada’s canola crush is primarily due to the growing international demand for vegetable oil, world feed grain supplies are also tight, […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg (Resource News International) — Early indications point toward average weather conditions across the Canadian Prairies and the U.S. Midwest this summer, according to a meteorologist at the Canadian Wheat Board’s (CWB) annual GrainWorld conference here Tuesday. Pacific Ocean surface water temperatures along the equator are currently at their fifth-coolest levels of the past 50 […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg (Resource News International) — Record-high fertilizer prices should start to “drift lower” after this spring, according to a presenter at the Canadian Wheat Board’s annual Grain World conference here Monday. While demand is expected to continue to grow, David Asbridge said fertilizer production capacity should rise to a larger extent. Nitrogen, phosphate, and potash […] Read more

Reading Time: < 1 minute (Resource News International) — Recent volatility in U.S. wheat markets only briefly led the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) to suspend its new-crop basis contracts. The contracts are now available once again, according to the CWB. In a brief statement on its web site Tuesday, the CWB said it had “suspended 2008-09 BPC (basis price contract) […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes (Resource News International) — Canadian spring wheat acres in 2008-09 should hold steady on the year despite earlier expectations for a decline in seedings, according to a Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) analyst. Spring wheat prices have overtaken oilseed values over the past month, Bruce Burnett of the CWB’s weather and crop surveillance department said Monday, […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes (Resource News International) — Northern U.S. canola growers faced with record-high prices have been making steady sales to a Canadian canola crusher, according to an official with the plant. High prices, together with the strength of the Canadian dollar, were seen helping to stimulate the cross-border movement, although James Loewen of Bunge Canada also pointed […] Read more

Reading Time: 3 minutes (Resource News International) — Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz wants a “clear roadmap” from the Canadian Wheat Board on how to provide greater marketing choice for Prairie barley producers, he said in a teleconference Tuesday. Ritz made his comments following a closed-door meeting with CWB officials and industry and farmer representatives in Ottawa. While a […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes (Resource News International) — Spring wheat prices in North Dakota are currently bid at prices considerably higher than those available to nearby producers in Manitoba, according to an analyst who thought the price difference was too large. However, a Canadian Wheat Board official said a number of risk factors are taken into account in determining […] Read more