(Dave Bedard photo)

U.S. regulators revise proposal on commodity position limits

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. derivatives regulators are revising their proposal to limit the positions that traders can hold in commodity markets to make it easier for some hedge funds and banks to keep large trades. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission wants to allow financial firms to count their market positions separately from subsidiaries if […] Read more

U.S. consumers’ demand for organic foods, such as this California lettuce, has risen steadily in the past decade — particularly in California, which alone accounted for 41 per cent of U.S. organic sales in 2014. (Eric Brennan photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Sales from organic U.S. farms reached $5.5B last year

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Sales from organic U.S. farms reached US$5.5 billion last year, a 72 per cent increase from 2008, the U.S. Agriculture Department said in a report on Thursday that highlighted the consumer trend toward such products. The USDA data, compiled through farmer surveys, showed that milk was the top organic commodity in […] Read more


Post-secondary students interested in Federated Co-operatives’ ag acholarship program now have until Oct. 15 to apply. (CoopAg.ca)

Co-op moves up timetable for scholarship program

Reading Time: < 1 minute Prairie students planning careers in agriculture or agribusiness now have an earlier deadline to seek funding support through the Co-op Excellence in Ag program. Excellence in Ag, Federated Co-operatives’ (FCL) multi-year scholarship and summer internship program, previously had a Jan. 31 deadline, but for the 2016 round, the application deadline will be Oct. 15 this […] Read more

Experts call for less waste and less meat

Kale or steak? Change in diet key to UN plan to end hunger by 2030

Reading Time: 4 minutes Rome — In trendy, hipster London or New York, it’s all about juicing, vegan diets and snacking on kale crisps. Thousands of miles away, in Nairobi or Bogota, the middle classes are more likely to reach for roasted goat or a juicy steak. Later this month, world leaders are set to endorse a U.N. goal […] Read more


Farm managers seek a few good aggies for awards

Farm managers seek a few good aggies for awards

Reading Time: < 1 minute Agriculture students may be eligible for financial encouragement to improve their communication, critical thinking and leadership skills through Farm Management Canada’s national awards program. FMC and the Canadian Association of Diploma in Agriculture Programs (CADAP) recently opened the 2015-16 edition of their Excellence Award for Agricultural Students, with a top prize of $1,500. The awards […] Read more

Management changes at Farm Business Communications

Management changes at Farm Business Communications

Reading Time: < 1 minute Laura Rance has been appointed editorial director of Farm Business Communications (FBC), a division of Glacier FarmMedia, effective Sept. 1, Glacier FarmMedia president Bob Willcox has announced. Rance replaces John Morriss, who continues as associate publisher of Farm Business Communications and who will be working in a new capacity developing Glacier FarmMedia’s online grain and […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Federal farm politicians lining up for debate

Reading Time: < 1 minute UPDATED, Sept. 29 — Canada’s incumbent agriculture minister and three of his federal critics are so far confirmed for a pre-election debate on farming issues later this month. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture, working with media partner (and operator of this website) Glacier FarmMedia, will host the national agriculture leaders’ debate on Sept. 30 in Ottawa. Western […] Read more

PHOTOS: Youth Ag-Summit: A role for research

PHOTOS: Youth Ag-Summit: A role for research

Reading Time: < 1 minute Feeding the nine billion-plus people expected to be living on our planet by 2050, from a land base that’s not expected to get any bigger, is the question posed to young “thought leaders” at this year’s Youth Ag-Summit. Grainews and Country Guide field editor Lisa Guenther is in Canberra this week for the event, hosted […] Read more