Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Seeds and pesticides company Corteva on Tuesday announced plans to exit about 35 countries and lay off roughly five per cent of its global workforce as part of the company’s cost-cutting plans. A surge in inflation this year to four-decade highs has forced Corporate America to slash planned spending and roll out measures […] Read more
Corteva to exit some markets, cut jobs in cost-saving push
Canada remains among company's 'core' markets
Ukraine could lack seed for years, French producers warn
Reading Time: 2 minutes Paris | Reuters — Reduced production of crop seed in Ukraine due to war with Russia could affect the country’s grain production for several years, a French seed industry group said on Thursday. Ukraine, one of the world’s largest grain exporters, is widely expected to see its harvest shrink this year as Russia’s invasion disrupts […] Read more
Oil content of Canada’s canola well below average in 2021
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — The average oil content of Canada’s canola crop came in well below normal in 2021-22, according to the final quality report for the year from the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC). The average oil content came in at only 41.3 per cent for the year, which compares with 44.1 per cent the previous year […] Read more
USDA opens inquiry into fertilizer, seed prices
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is opening an inquiry into the impacts of concentration in the fertilizer, seed and retail markets. The inquiry stems from the Biden administration’s July 2021 executive order to promote competition across the U.S. economy, the agency said in a release Friday. Global supply chain problems and inflation have […] Read more
With fertilizer costs high and seed scarce, U.S. farmers turn to soy
'These prices are just crazy'
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — North Dakota farmer Jennifer Meyer typically devotes at least 20 per cent of her 2,500-acre farm to corn, which provides a convenient feed for the cattle she raises with her husband. But this year she is looking to find another crop for those 500 acres near Wilton as she has been […] Read more
Two Saskatchewan co-ops to buy ag input retailer
Paragon Ag Service assets to be divvied up
Reading Time: 2 minutes A pair of Saskatchewan co-operatives are expanding their reach in the crop input retail sector in that province’s northeast, with a deal to buy an independent dealership chain. Lake Country Co-op and Prairie North Co-op announced Tuesday they have agreements in place to buy the assets of Melfort-based Paragon Ag Service from owners Sherman Boland […] Read more
Hemp industry looking forward despite hurdles
Industry 'on the edge of turning'
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — The number of hemp acres grown in Canada, of which more than 80 per cent are on the Prairies, have ebbed and flowed over the past few years. In 2018, 41,200 acres were planted, according to Statistics Canada, but the total more than doubled the next year to 91,100. In 2020, that number […] Read more
Cargill buying further into Saskatchewan ag retail
Company to take up other half of Precision Ag
Reading Time: 2 minutes Cargill plans to expand its crop retail reach further into southeastern Saskatchewan by buying up the remaining half of one of its joint ventures in the region. The Canadian arm of the U.S. agrifood firm said Thursday it will buy up crop input retailer Precision Ag for an undisclosed sum, taking up the 50 per […] Read more
Prairie farm slapped with plant breeders’ rights infringement penalties
Farmers need to know who they are buying seed from to avoid potentially significant costs
Reading Time: 3 minutes Infringing on Plant Breeders’ Rights (PBR) has cost a large southern Alberta farm a record $737,597. “The settlement relates to unauthorized advertisements and sales of PBR-protected barley and wheat varieties,” Alliance Seed, SeCan and an unnamed seed company said in a news release Wednesday. The settlement “includes the royalties, plus legal fees and penalties,” Todd […] Read more
Investor nominates directors for Corteva, aims to oust CEO
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Activist investor Starboard Value LP said on Thursday it has nominated eight directors to the board of Corteva, seeking to oust its chief executive officer and take control of the pesticide and seed maker. Starboard, in its letter to Corteva’s chairman, said it had identified someone new for the top job, but declined […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
