Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Canadian malting barley acreage is expected to remain high in the coming year, mostly due to strong export demand. Peter Watts, managing director of the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Center in Winnipeg, said tough harvest conditions were partially to blame for lowered malt barley output in 2019. “We had a fairly lousy harvest, […] Read more
Strong export demand, acreage ahead for barley
Lower supplies from Australia benefit Canadian growers
More pain in store for Canadian marijuana companies
Aurora Cannabis, Tilray cut jobs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Toronto | Reuters — Investors are bracing for more job cuts and writedowns at Canadian cannabis producers before the industry stabilizes and becomes profitable, after two of the biggest weed companies, Aurora Cannabis and Tilray announced cost reductions this week. Canada legalized recreational cannabis in October 2018 but profits have proven elusive for most marijuana […] Read more
Canada, China both ‘furious’ over Huawei row, envoy says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Canada and China are both “furious” over the case of a Huawei executive detained in Canada in 2018 and its aftermath, but there are signs the two sides can hold constructive talks, the Canadian ambassador to Beijing said Wednesday. Canadian police picked up Huawei Technologies chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou on […] Read more
Tilray, in cost reduction mode, cuts 10 per cent of workforce
Reading Time: < 1 minute Toronto | Reuters — Tilray Inc. has cut 10 per cent of its 1,443-strong workforce as part of a global restructuring effort to reduce costs, the cannabis producer said Tuesday. “By reducing headcount and cost, Tilray will be better positioned to achieve profitability and be one of the clear winners in the cannabis industry,” the […] Read more
Rye production likely won’t increase in 2020
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Strong prices served as an incentive for farmers to plant more rye in 2019, but one grower believes there won’t be as much production in 2020 due to the wet fall. “Winter cereals got seeded, but not the acres guys were planning,” said Brad White, a Saskatchewan farmer and a director with Winter […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: More acres sought for 2020
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Planting intentions for red and green lentils and other pulses have been looking good for 2020 — but that might change somewhat because prices have slipped a little, said Marcos Mosnaim of Globeways Canada in Mississauga. Discussing pulse crops at a farm show last month in Saskatoon, Mosnaim said he got the strong […] Read more
Machinery costs driving up fixed farming expenses
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Fixed costs on farms continue to rise year-over-year, a statistic largely attributed to increasing land values and interest rates. At the beginning of 2019, Farm Credit Canada (FCC) reported farmland values across Canada increased by an average of 6.6 per cent during the previous year. But that’s not the main driver of fixed […] Read more
Virus fears weigh on global shipping sector
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Global shipping rates continue to decline, hitting record lows in some cases, amid declining demand and concerns over the coronavirus outbreak in China. The Baltic Dry Index (BDI), compiled by the London-based Baltic Exchange, provides an assessment of the price of moving major raw materials by sea. The BDI has fallen for 13 […] Read more
Poor Chinese demand a setback for grain exports
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Canadian grain exports from licensed facilities are running well behind the previous year’s pace, due primarily to a sharp reduction in movement to China, according to latest monthly data from the Canadian Grain Commission. Total exports at Dec. 31 of grain, oilseed and pulse crops for the 2019-20 crop year to date came […] Read more
Trump signs CUSMA pact
Canada's ratification still to come
Reading Time: 3 minutes Washington | Reuters — President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a new North American trade agreement during an outdoor ceremony at the White House attended by about 400 guests — but not the key Democrats who helped secure congressional passage of the deal. Trump, on trial in the U.S. Senate on charges of abusing power […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
