Reading Time: 2 minutes Two major Canadian pork processors are among those expressing interest in Canada’s second-biggest hog producer, Big Sky Farms — which is looking for new ownership after soaring feed costs left it unable to pay its bills. Big Sky, which produces about a million pigs per year and is based near Humboldt, Sask., entered receivership in […] Read more
Pork packers interested in ailing major hog producers
Ranchers wait out beef recall, exports to U.S. grow
Reading Time: 3 minutes Western Canada’s ranchers and feedlots are holding slaughter-ready cattle back from market longer than usual, absorbing extra costs as they try to wait out the closure of one of the region’s biggest processing plants due to a massive recall of potentially tainted beef. But as the closure of XL Foods’ Lakeside beef plant at Brooks, […] Read more
Coop Federee, India ag co-op plan Quebec N plant
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Indian Farmers Fertilizer Co-operative (IFFCO), one of India’s largest fertilizer makers, plans to build a $1.2 billion nitrogen fertilizer plant with a partner in Quebec to cash in on strong North American demand. IFFCO and La Coop federee said Tuesday they plan to begin construction at Becancour, Que., across the St. Lawrence River from […] Read more
CFIA inspectors cite delays getting tainted meat data
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canadian food inspectors could not immediately get key information from packer XL Foods after detecting E. coli bacteria in its beef, adding to a nearly two-week delay in launching one of the country’s largest-ever meat recalls. Authorities learned about the presence of E. coli O157:H7 in beef produced at the XL Foods plant at Brooks, […] Read more
Massive beef recall seen unlikely to rattle buyers
Reading Time: 3 minutes A huge recall of Canadian beef because of E. coli contamination is unlikely to slow that country’s beef consumption or its exports, analysts say, largely because the public has become familiar with E. coli. On Friday, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) temporarily shut down privately held XL Foods’ beef-packing plant at Brooks, Alta., where […] Read more
Disappointing canola harvest sets off battle for supplies
Reading Time: 3 minutes A disappointing Canadian canola crop is setting up a tug-of-war between domestic crushers and exporters over supplies, with global vegetable oil markets already stretched tight by a drought-damaged U.S. soybean crop. Canadian farmers were expected to shatter the record for canola production and harvest 15.4 million tonnes of the oilseed in 2012-13, according to Statistics […] Read more
U.S. wheat up as Russia says may curb exports
Reading Time: 3 minutes Wheat prices climbed on Friday as Russia’s economy minister raised the possibility of grain export curbs by the world’s third-largest wheat shipper. Soybeans rose late, but posted their biggest weekly loss in a year. Corn edged higher, but ended with its largest weekly loss in more than three months. Russia, which accounted for 14 per […] Read more
U.S. soy driven to six-week low on harvest, technical selling
Reading Time: 3 minutes U.S. soybeans and corn fell on Thursday as the brisk pace of the domestic harvest and global economic worries dampened investor sentiment after drought lifted prices to record highs this summer. The lower prices triggered further selling based on technical indicators, taking soybeans down three per cent to a six-week low and knocking corn down […] Read more
CWB single-desk backers file for Supreme Court hearing
Reading Time: 2 minutes Supporters of Western Canada’s now-defunct grain marketing monopoly hope to take their fight against the Canadian government to the country’s highest court. Eight farmers, who were once on the Canadian Wheat Board’s board of directors, said they filed papers on Wednesday to ask the Supreme Court of Canada to hear their appeal of a lower […] Read more
Bargain buyers grab U.S. grains after selloff
Reading Time: 2 minutes U.S. soybeans rose nearly two per cent on Wednesday after their biggest two-day selloff in seven weeks, and corn and wheat also climbed on buying interest at lower prices. Soybeans had fallen sharply this week on expectations crop yields across the drought-stricken U.S. Midwest will exceed forecasts as harvesting achieves a record pace. But there […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
