Reading Time: 3 minutes Winnipeg/Ottawa | Reuters — Shippers scrambled to shift freight onto trucks on Thursday as a strike at Canada’s biggest railroad, Canadian National Railway, hit its third day, leaving the critical fuel propane and other goods stranded. Some 3,200 unionized employees, including conductors and yard workers, hit picket lines on Tuesday in the biggest such action […] Read more
Propane shortage looms as CN strike hits third day
U.S. manufacturer buys control of DOT Technology
Reading Time: 2 minutes A made-in-Canada self-guiding farm equipment platform has sold control of itself to one of its U.S. investors. Sioux Falls, S.D. precision agriculture manufacturer Raven Industries announced last week it has closed its deal to buy majority ownership in Regina-based DOT Technology Corp. for an undisclosed sum. DOT said the deal will allow it to “further […] Read more
Propane-starved East’s grain growers seek end to CN strike
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farmers fighting through a soggy harvest in Eastern Canada have joined their western counterparts’ call for an end to the strike by Canadian National Railway workers — not to get grain out, but to get propane in. Restoring the supply of propane for Quebec’s farm businesses, in the wake of a Canada-wide strike launched Tuesday […] Read more
New environmental rules expected to further lift diesel prices
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Diesel prices in Canada and the U.S. have increased marginally ahead of winter, which is expected for this time of year — but in the New Year, prices on the farm will likely be higher than normal, as the ocean freight industry adopts new environmental standards. While a farmer’s demand for diesel is […] Read more
John Deere revamps its 6M tractor family
New models and more options to appeal to different buyers
Reading Time: 3 minutes John Deere has been offering a pretty wide range of tractors designed to appeal to an equally wide group of buyers looking for power in the mid-horsepower class. In the 105- to 250-horsepower group, the green brand’s 6 Family of tractors already offers an impressive 20 models from the economy 6Es to the high-end 6Rs. […] Read more
U.S. states declare emergencies to help farmers in propane shortage
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Regional shortages of propane, which is used for heating homes and barns and by farmers to dry their crops, have led to emergency declarations covering nine U.S. Midwest states amid late harvests of soggy grains. Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin declared state emergencies beginning in late October, and continued last Friday to […] Read more
U.S. propane bottlenecks not affecting Canada
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Despite ongoing shortfalls of propane in some areas of the U.S. Midwest, the situation doesn’t appear to be adversely affecting Canada, according to the Canadian Propane Association. The late harvest in the Midwest has been further hampered by wet conditions, forcing farmers to dry their grain before putting it in the bin. As […] Read more
CNH Industrial cuts revenue guidance for second time
Company sticks to earnings per share forecast
Reading Time: < 1 minute Milan | Reuters – Italian-American machinery maker CNH Industrial trimmed its forecast for full-year revenue for a second time this year after lower sales volumes and exchange rate factors weighed on results in the third quarter. CNH Industrial, which makes most of its profit from farming machinery, Iveco commercial vehicles, construction equipment and powertrains, said net sales of […] Read more
Why Kubota thinks you’ll buy more of its farm equipment
The Texas-based manufacturer sees both end-users and retail dealers as its customers
Reading Time: 5 minutes As I walked through Kubota’s new headquarters in Grapevine, Texas, one particular observation stood out to me. In other companies’ offices and engineering centres that I’ve visited, there was never any shortage of images of the brand’s machines lining the hallway walls. The offices in the Kubota building were stylish and comfortable with plenty of […] Read more
Grains, oilseeds not included in Greens’ plans for biofuel
Reading Time: 3 minutes The federal Green Party’s plan to move Canada to zero emissions by 2050 supports the near-term use of plant-based biofuels — “but not from food that could otherwise feed Canadians.” Ahead of Monday’s federal election, the party released a climate action plan dubbed “Mission: Possible” that would ban the use of internal combustion engines in […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
