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
Grains, oilseeds not included in Greens’ plans for biofuel
Trump backs plan boosting biofuel quotas 10 per cent in 2020
Reading Time: 2 minutes New York | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump has tentatively approved a plan to increase the amount of biofuels that oil refiners are required to blend each year to compensate for exemptions handed out to small refiners by the Environmental Protection Agency, two sources familiar with the matter said. The plan is intended to […] Read more
Manitoba Tories pledge to pump up biofuel content
Reading Time: 2 minutes Manitoba’s incumbent Progressive Conservatives have pledged to boost provincial mandates for biofuel content in gasoline and diesel two weeks ahead of a provincial election. The Tories, whom recent polls favour for re-election on Sept. 10, included the pledge Tuesday in a campaign announcement specifically aimed at the province’s farmers. The party noted its biofuel promise […] Read more
Shut out of China, Canada finds canola buyers in drought-damaged Europe
Reading Time: 3 minutes Winnipeg/Paris | Reuters — Crop-scorching drought in Europe is providing Canadian canola farmers a timely new opportunity to move supplies that have piled up since China stopped buying this year. Rising European sales are taking some of the sting out of losing the Chinese market for Canadian farmers, although ICE canola futures prices are down […] Read more
U.S. EPA proposes hike in 2020 biofuel mandate
Reading Time: 3 minutes Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Friday proposed refiners increase the volume of biofuels blended into their annual fuel output but did not reallocate the waived amounts under the hardship program, drawing ire from powerful corn and biofuel groups as well as Republican senators. The EPA is charged with setting […] Read more
Commodities firm INTL FCStone enters Canadian market
Reading Time: 2 minutes Already handling ag commodities via partners north of the border, U.S. commodities brokerage and financial services firm INTL FCStone is bringing its own name into the Canadian market. The New York firm announced Tuesday it became a member of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) effective May 17, clearing the company to offer […] Read more
EU seeks to soothe U.S. by clearing soybeans for biofuel
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — The European Commission said on Tuesday it had concluded that U.S. soybeans can be used in biofuels in the European Union, part of the bloc’s push to improve strained trade relations with the United States. However, industry sources said it was unlikely to lead to a flood of additional U.S. soybean imports into […] Read more
Beef demand, crush margins boost Cargill’s Q1 ledger
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Grains trader Cargill reported a nearly five per cent rise in quarterly profit on Thursday as global demand for beef and improved oilseed crushing results offset challenges in several business units. But Cargill also faced various headwinds across the company — particularly in its protein and food ingredients units, both of which have […] Read more
Crude oil and canola part company, for now
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — The symbiotic relationship that crude oil and canola used to enjoy seems to have hit a snag. Chart structures have proven that crude prices have pushed and pulled canola up and down in recent years. However, since the start of 2018, the gains enjoyed by crude oil have failed to lift canola. […] Read more
U.S. EPA scraps plan to force refiners to blend more biofuels
Reading Time: 3 minutes New York | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ditched a detailed plan that would have forced refiners to blend more biofuels into their gasoline and diesel in 2019 to compensate for volumes likely to be exempted under the agency’s small refinery hardship waiver program, according to newly released EPA documents. The plan would […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
