Reading Time: < 1 minute Sao Paulo | Reuters — Food processor JBS SA reiterated plans to grow production capacity in Brazil and in the United States after posting strong third quarter results, executives said in a conference call to discuss earnings on Thursday. CEO Gilberto Tomazoni said 12 of the company’s plants in Brazil were being expanded, as JBS […] Read more
JBS gears up for U.S. and Brazil expansions
Brazilian meat giant reiterates plans following strong Q3 results
Louis Dreyfus to gain first outside investor
Abu Dhabi's ADQ fund to acquire indirect 45 per cent stake
Reading Time: 2 minutes Paris | Reuters — Louis Dreyfus Co. (LDC) has agreed to sell a 45 per cent stake to Abu Dhabi’s ADQ, the companies said on Wednesday, the first outside investment in the family-owned commodity merchant’s 169-year-old history. The deal comes after a search by chairwoman Margarita Louis-Dreyfus for an investor to relieve debt built up […] Read more
Bunge buys into canola, pea protein maker Merit
Agribusiness giant takes quarter stake in processor
Reading Time: 2 minutes One of the world’s biggest grain companies is getting in on a processing facility under construction in Winnipeg to extract plant-based proteins from canola and peas. Winnipeg-based Merit Functional Foods announced Thursday it has received a $30 million “capital investment” from Bunge, giving the U.S. grain firm a “minority interest” worth 25 per cent. Burcon […] Read more
Louis Dreyfus adds venture capital unit
New unit's potential budget not yet discussed publicly
Reading Time: < 1 minute Paris | Reuters — Agricultural commodities trader Louis Dreyfus Co. has launched a venture capital program to invest in food and farming firms while also announcing a change of head for its innovation business. “Over the coming months, we will invest in early-stage companies with the potential to transform the food and agriculture industries,” CEO […] Read more
Ag sector growth will take investments in skills, tech now: RBC
Reading Time: 4 minutes One of Canada’s big six banks bets the agriculture sector’s gross domestic product could rise by nearly 60 per cent over the next decade if it were to have enough people, capital and access to new technology where ag lives. A report released by RBC on Tuesday titled “Farmer 4.0” estimates Canadian ag GDP could […] Read more
On the front lines: Trade war sinks North Dakota soy growers
Reading Time: 4 minutes Colfax, N.D. | Reuters — North Dakota bet bigger on Chinese soybean demand than any other U.S. state. The industry here — on the far northwestern edge of the U.S. farm belt, close to Pacific ports — spent millions on grain storage and rail-loading infrastructure while boosting plantings by five-fold in 20 years. Now, as […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans lower on trade row
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell about two per cent on Monday on generally favourable Midwest crop weather and worries about trade with China, the world’s biggest soy importer, traders said. Corn and wheat futures also declined. July soybean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade settled down 20 cents at $8.74-1/2 per […] Read more
New investment leads to new chief at Morris
Reading Time: 2 minutes A major cash infusion from a pair of Calgary private investment firms, among others, has put new hands at the helm of farm equipment maker Morris Industries. Morris on Tuesday announced its president, Ben Voss — a Saskatoon engineer and farmer, and one of the players in the new investment group — has also been […] Read more
Trio of groups proposes Alberta-based agrifood ‘supercluster’
Reading Time: 2 minutes Agrium, Olds College and global satellite communications corporation MDA have submitted an application to the federal government to form an agrifood “supercluster.” The Liberal government committed up to $950 million (over five years) in its March budget to create hubs that would focus on key economic sectors in an effort to kickstart investment, boost exports […] Read more
Know your farm financial numbers
Which financial ratios could you be tracking this summer to make the best decisions this fall?
Reading Time: 8 minutes Farming is a tough business. Weather risk, volatile markets, potential trade issues, input costs, and the steep investment in land and equipment mean today’s farmers must have formidable management skills to weather the storms and grasp the opportunities. In that context, your financial numbers are a lot like the numbers you get from the field, […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
