A vessel is seen arriving at Odesa in southern Ukraine under the Black Sea Grain Initiative on April 12, 2023. (Photo: Yulii Zozulia/Nurphoto via Reuters Connect)

Russia attacks Ukraine’s vital Danube grain export route

Ukrainian foreign minister calls for global response to 'food terrorism'

Reading Time: 3 minutes Kyiv | Reuters – Russia destroyed Ukrainian grain warehouses on the Danube River in a drone attack on Monday, targeting a vital export route for Kyiv in an expanding air campaign that Moscow began last week after pulling out of the Black Sea grain deal. Last week’s attacks mostly struck the sea ports of Odesa […] Read more

Federal, provincial and territorial ministers of agriculture at their annual conference in Fredericton, New Brunswick in July 2023.
 Photo: AAFC

Federal and provincial ag ministers meet in Fredericton

Reading Time: 3 minutes Environmental issues remain a hot topic for provincial agriculture ministers. That and sustainable agriculture dominated discussions during the recent federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) agriculture ministers meeting in Fredericton, N.B. The annual conference was held from July 19-21. The focus on sustainable agriculture tracks, as this is the first time the ministers have met since […] Read more


File photo of a Chinese cornfield. (Baona/iStock/Getty Images)

Rain in China’s northeast brings relief for corn, drought risk remains

An oversupply of hogs, weak demand are pressuring pork prices

Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing | Reuters – Recent rainfall in China’s northeastern breadbasket has relieved drought across most of the region, an agriculture ministry official said Friday, but risks remain with the El Nino weather pattern potentially bringing more extreme weather this summer. China is the world’s second-biggest corn producer and about 40 per cent of its crop […] Read more

File photo of Black Sea port facilities at Odesa, Ukraine. (Leskas/iStock/Getty Images)

Russian diplomat accuses Ukraine of using Black Sea grain corridor for attacks

Russia says it's negotiating exports of food to countries most in need

Reading Time: 2 minutes Moscow | Reuters – Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin on Friday accused Ukraine of using a grain export corridor in the Black Sea to launch “terrorist attacks” against Russian interests, including one this week on the Crimean Bridge. Vershinin was addressing a briefing about Russia’s decision on Monday to quit the year-old Black Sea […] Read more


The Chicago Board of Trade building on May 28, 2018. (Harmantasdc/iStock Editorial/Getty Images)

CBOT weekly update: Dry conditions, war propel prices upward

Rally may push well into the week of July 24 and perhaps further: broker

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm – Prices on the Chicago Board of Trade continued to rally on July 19, and to Scott Capinegro of Barrington Commodity Brokers of Barrington, Ill., they appeared set to push higher.  Capinegro pointed to the hot and dry weather across much of the United States as the main reason for the gains being made […] Read more

The Chicago Board of Trade building on May 28, 2018. (Harmantasdc/iStock Editorial/Getty Images)

US Grains: wheat futures end firmer amid Black Sea supply worries

Ukrainian officials said Russian air strikes damaged the port of Odesa

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures finished stronger on Tuesday after Ukrainian officials said Russian air strikes damaged infrastructure at the port of Odesa, a day after Moscow quit the Black Sea grain export deal. The strikes diminished some expectations that Russia may still renew the export deal, analysts said. Markets […] Read more


Vessels are seen as they await inspection under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the UN and Turkey, in the southern anchorage of the Bosphorus at Istanbul on Dec. 11, 2022. (File photo: Reuters/Yoruk Isik)

Black Sea grain deal expires after Russia quits

United Nations says the move would "strike a blow to people in need everywhere"

Reading Time: 3 minutes United Nations/Moscow | Reuters – A deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine’s grain for the past year expired on Monday after Russia quit and warned it could not guarantee the safety of ships in a move the United Nations said would “strike a blow to people in need everywhere.” Moscow suggested that […] Read more

Photo: File

Mexican president moves to prioritize domestic corn for tortillas

Mexico is embroiled in a dispute with the U.S. over decree to limit use of GM corn

Reading Time: 2 minutes Mexico City | Reuters — Mexico’s president announced on Monday he will sign an agreement this week with makers of the country’s food staple tortillas that ensures they only use non-genetically modified (GM) white corn while also setting new tariffs on imports of the grain. Tariffs on white corn imports from countries that do not […] Read more


File photo of grilled pork intestine on skewers at a street food stall in the Philippines. (Junpinzon/iStock/Getty Images)

Philippines to host Canada’s Indo-Pacific ag office

AAFC/CFIA base to be set up in Manila, Bibeau says

Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada’s agriculture department and food safety agency will carry out their part of the federal government’s Indo-Pacific strategy from a new office in Manila, Philippines. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced the office’s location Wednesday in Ottawa during a meeting with the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA), which represents Canada’s export-dependent ag commodity groups on […] Read more

A barley crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on July 30, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Australia reaches deal with China in barley dispute

Trade shift may be 'bad news' for Canada and other exporters

Reading Time: 2 minutes Sydney/Beijing | Reuters — Australia has reached an agreement with China to resolve their dispute over barley imports, the two countries said on Tuesday, a latest sign of improving ties between the major commodity trade partners. Relations between the two had been strained for years, and worsened after Australia called for an inquiry into the […] Read more