Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were quite variable over the past week. Stronger demand was noted in the major feeding regions such as southern Alberta where top-quality steers weighing just over 600 pounds reached $288. Manitoba prices were also steady to $3 higher on buying interest from Eastern Canada and south of the border. However, […] Read more
Klassen: Demand varies for feeder cattle
Argentina tracks soy hoarding by registering silo bag sales
Buenos Aires | Reuters — Argentina will keep an eye on how much soy is being hoarded on farms throughout the country by requiring that the sales of silo bags be reported to tax authorities, according to a government resolution announced Monday. The oblong industrial-strength plastic bags have come to dot the Pampas grains belt […] Read more
Prairie wheat bids mixed; CWRS down, CPSR up
CNS Canada — Wheat cash bids across Western Canada only saw some minor adjustments during the week ended Friday, with some classes seeing small gains and other wheat classes down slightly. Average Canada Western Red Spring wheat prices were steady to as much as $3 per tonne lower during the week, with bids ranging from […] Read more
Spring load limits to slow grain movement on Prairie roads
CNS Canada — Spring road bans are starting to be put into place across Western Canada as temperatures warm up in the Prairie provinces. The annual restrictions set axle weight limits for vehicles moving on certain roads in an effort to reduce the damage heavier loads can cause during the spring thaw period. Grain and […] Read more
PotashCorp buys stake in Heringer to expand in Brazil
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, the world’s largest fertilizer company by market value, agreed on Monday to pay about $69.8 million for a 9.5 per cent stake in Brazilian rival Fertilizantes Heringer SA, the latest effort by PotashCorp to grow in Latin America’s largest economy. The deal, which is expected to […] Read more
Rail consolidation unlikely to involve CP for now: CEO
Toronto | Reuters — Canadian Pacific Railway is unlikely to be involved in the consolidation of the North American industry in the short term, CEO Hunter Harrison said on Monday. Canada’s No. 2 railway, which also has operations in the U.S., discussed a deal with CSX Corp. last year but could not reach an agreement. […] Read more
Brazil truckers continue some roadblocks after crackdown
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Striking truck drivers resumed some roadblocks in Brazil on Monday, disrupting grain and meat shipments to southern ports even as the government cracked down on protesters and promised to give new benefits to the transport sector. By mid-afternoon there were 23 road blockages in three southern states, down from 99 […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle rise on discounts to cash prices
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher on Monday, supported by their discount to what packers paid for market-ready (cash) cattle last week, traders said. “We had the board (futures) too cheap when the February contract expired last Friday,” said Vetterkind Cattle Brokerage president Troy Vetterkind. April closed 1.75 cents […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat, soy post big losses on weakening export demand
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures dropped 2.5 per cent on Monday on poor export demand and lessened concerns about damage to the dormant U.S. crop, traders said. Poor export demand also weighed on soybeans. Traders added that easing worries about a truckers’ strike in Brazil slowing shipments of newly harvested supplies from that […] Read more
Pests likely to survive Manitoba winter
CNS Canada –– Sufficient snow cover will likely help insect crop pests survive the winter in Manitoba, despite a recent bout of extremely cold weather. “Snow is a great insulator, so even though we have had some quite cool temperatures the last several weeks, where the insects are beneath the snow it’s actually nice and […] Read more