Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Jeff Nielsen, a director with Alberta Barley, expected barley exports to make a strong showing. Numbers recently posted by the Canadian Grain Commission confirmed the good news he had been waiting for. “We kind of had an inkling they were going to be good and high and yeah, it just reaffirms it. […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Barley exports could signal market strength
Pulse import plunge in India to ripple across Canada, Australia
Reading Time: 3 minutes Mumbai | Reuters — Pulse imports to India, the world’s biggest buyer, may fall to their lowest in nearly two decades after the government raised import taxes and restricted overseas purchases to bolster prices, impacting the plans of its global suppliers. The reduction in imports illustrates the government’s steps to raise the prices of pulses, […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy drop to new lows as rains soak Midwest
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures dropped to fresh multi-month lows on Monday as widespread rains across the Midwest farm belt bolstered production outlooks for recently planted crops. Wheat futures also eased as rainfall in Western Australia took the edge off global weather worries, although declines were limited as dry weather persisted […] Read more
Australian lawmaker pushes to end live sheep exports
Reading Time: 2 minutes Sydney | Reuters — An Australian backbencher on Monday introduced legislation to parliament to ban the export of live sheep after the death of 2,400 animals led to widespread criticism of the A$250 million (C$241.96 million) industry. The bill threatens to expose fractures within the ruling coalition government, which last week introduced tougher oversight of […] Read more
Out-competed
Again, the Australians are showing us how we’d market our crops if we had our act together
Reading Time: 7 minutes Is the Canadian grains sector being out-marketed globally? This is a question that has nagged me since February 16, the date the Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre released new information brochures for Australian wheat, barley, oats, canola and pulses. “These publications are aimed at international purchasers of Australian grain,” the association (AEGIC) said in its […] Read more
Australia clears Saputo’s Murray Goulburn takeover
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Australia’s competition regulator on Wednesday approved a planned $1 billion takeover of the country’s largest dairy processor, Murray Goulburn Co-operative, by Canada’s Saputo. The deal, which Australia’s largest dairy processor says is key to its survival, was approved after Saputo agreed to sell a milk plant in Victoria state to address concerns from […] Read more
Prairie malt barley prices lower than feed
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — With feed barley in tight supply, the tables have flipped with feed prices now sitting higher than those for malt barley in Western Canada. Feed barley prices “make some of these other prices look a bit ridiculous. There’s no demand from the domestic maltsters because they’ve all been plugged up ever since […] Read more
Final version of Trans-Pacific trade deal released
Reading Time: 3 minutes Wellington/Sydney | Reuters — The final version of a landmark deal aimed at cutting trade barriers in some of the Asia-Pacific’s fastest-growing economies was released on Wednesday, signalling the pact was a step closer to reality even without its star member the U.S. More than 20 provisions have been suspended or changed in the final […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Australia makes progress with India, Canada waits
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– Pulse crop prices in Western Canada are holding steady while questions remain about the future of trade with India. India in November imposed a 50 per cent import tariff on peas and in December a 30 per cent tariff was placed on chickpeas and lentils. The tariffs were imposed overnight and left […] Read more
Australia takes Canada to WTO over wine rules
Reading Time: 2 minutes Geneva | Reuters — Australia has complained at the World Trade Organization about Canada’s rules on wine sales, expanding a similar U.S. complaint against one province. In October, Washington accused British Columbia of providing an unfair advantage to local vineyards by giving their wine an exclusive retail channel in grocery store shelves and cutting out […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
