CNH’s Case IH and New Holland farm equipment divisions have launched their own Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) programs, allowing farmers in Canada and the U.S. to buy eligible used late-model combines and tractors with warranty coverage. For Case IH, the CPO program announced Friday will provide buyers with warranties and financing on pre-owned late-model Steiger and […] Read more
Case IH, New Holland launch pre-owned certification
Environmental group sues U.S. EPA over monarch butterfly levels
Reuters — An environmental group sued the U.S. government on Friday, accusing regulators of discounting dangers a widely used herbicide is alleged to pose to the declining monarch butterfly population. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) filed suit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in U.S. District Court in New York. The suit claimed […] Read more
Some roads reopened in Brazil; truck strike persists
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Striking truckers lifted their blockade of dozens of highways in Brazil after police began fining and arresting protesters, though strike organizers said they had no plans to end their stoppage now in its 10th day. Road blockages were reported at 61 locations in six states on Friday, down from 88 […] Read more
JBS suspends IPO of processed foods unit, again
Rio de Janeiro | Reuters –– Brazilian meatpacker JBS SA said on Friday it was cancelling an initial public offering of its processed food unit JBS Foods due to unfavourable market conditions. This is the fourth time JBS, the world’s largest meatpacker, suspended plans for the IPO of JBS Foods. JBS said in a statement […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat hits week high on crop worries
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures rallied nearly three per cent on Friday after falling to three-week lows this week as another arctic blast across the U.S. winter wheat belt raised worries about the dormant crop, traders and analysts said. That spurred technical buying as Chicago wheat rose to a one-week high. “We pressed […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures rebound with pork prices
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs on Friday bounced back from Thursday’s losses, sparked by the uptick in wholesale pork values, traders said. April futures closed up 0.325 cents per pound, to 67.475 cents, with May 0.6 cents higher at 79.9 cents (all figures US$). Friday afternoon’s wholesale pork price jumped $2.38 […] Read more
China to block Canadian beef as BSE probe continues
China has set up “temporary trade restrictions” on Canadian beef and beef products in the wake of Canada’s first case of BSE in a domestic cow since 2011, federal officials report. Born in 2009 and confirmed with BSE Feb. 11, the latest case — Canada’s 19th since its first such finding in 2003 — has […] Read more
Ritz’s Agricultural Growth Act now law
Banff — There was applause here when plant breeders, seed companies and farmers at the Prairie Recommending Committee for Wheat, Rye and Triticale heard the Agricultural Growth Act, with its stronger intellectual property rights, was about to receive royal assent. Immediately after the bill received royal assent Wednesday, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz tabled a treaty […] Read more
Australia plans country-of-origin labelling after hep A outbreak
Sydney | Reuters — Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott backed plans on Thursday to introduce country-of-origin labelling in the wake of a hepatitis A outbreak, potentially risking contravention of World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. With 18 confirmed cases of hepatitis A linked to consumption of berries sold by Patties Foods Ltd., Abbott said he had […] Read more
Study shows cooler Pacific slowed global warming, briefly
Oslo | Reuters — A natural cooling of the Pacific Ocean has contributed to slow global warming in the past decade but the pause is unlikely to last much longer, U.S. scientists said on Thursday. The slowdown in the rate of rising temperatures, from faster gains in the 1980s and 1990s, has puzzled scientists because […] Read more