Farm program payments handled by Ontario’s farm support delivery agency, Agricorp, will soon be available through direct deposit. Agricorp announced Tuesday that farmers can expect to see direct deposit enrolment information in their packages during the spring program renewal period, and can apply for direct deposit starting in March. Customers who sign up for direct […] Read more
Ontario’s Agricorp to offer direct deposit
Sask. decouples unseeded acres from crop insurance package
A new approach to coverage for fields that can’t be seeded in Saskatchewan has some farmers fearing for the future of the “multi-peril” standard in publicly-funded crop insurance. The Saskatchewan and federal governments on Thursday unveiled the province’s 2015 crop insurance program, touting both its increased coverage levels and lower premiums for growers. With a […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Profit-taking breaks CME hogs’ six-day win streak
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs fell on Thursday for the first time in seven days, pressured by profit-taking on the eve of February’s final trading day, traders said. April futures closed 2.175 cents per pound lower at 67.15 cents, with May down 2.6 cents at 79.3 cents (all figures US$). Some […] Read more
Brazil warns of fines for striking truckers
Brasilia | Reuters –– Brazil’s Justice Minister Jose Eduardo Cardozo said Thursday the government would impose fines of between 5,000 and 10,000 reais (C$2,167 to $4,334) per hour on striking truckers who have blocked roads in key agricultural states for nine days. The planned fines come a day after the government attempted to negotiate an […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy climbs on Brazilian truck strike
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures rose on Thursday on uncertainty over Brazil’s trucker strike, which threatens to stall movement of the new harvest of the grain onto the world market, traders and analysts said. Chicago corn and wheat also ended higher, tracking the strength in soybeans. Chicago Board of Trade March soybeans ended […] Read more
Maple Leaf reduces Q4 loss, hikes dividend
Reuters — Meat processor Maple Leaf Foods reported a smaller, but still disappointing, quarterly loss on Thursday, as it worked through a plan to close older packing plants. Even so, the company will double its quarterly dividend to eight cents. CEO Michael McCain said the move reflected confidence in the business outlook. Maple Leaf, one […] Read more
IGC sees smaller global wheat, corn crops in 2015-16
London | Reuters –– Global corn production is expected to fall by five per cent in 2015-16 from this season’s record level and the world wheat crop to decline by a more modest two per cent, the International Grains Council (IGC) forecast on Thursday. The intergovernmental body, in a monthly report, forecast global corn production […] Read more
Trade panel rejects Que. appeal on edible oil products
Quebec has lost its last path of appeal against an interprovincial trade panel’s decision on restrictions for sales of vegetable oil-based dairy products in the province. An appellate panel, convened under the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT), on Wednesday released a Jan. 26 report which upholds an AIT panel’s ruling last spring, favouring Saskatchewan’s challenge against Quebec’s […] Read more
CBOT soy seen weakening as soon as Brazil’s logistics improve
CNS Canada — Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) soybean futures moved higher during the week ended Wednesday, as continued good export demand for U.S. soybeans was bullish. Brazil’s slower than normal harvest pace and its logistics problems related to a trucker strike both led to strong export demand for the U.S. As soon as those […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Canola runs into resistance
CNS Canada — ICE Futures Canada canola contracts hit their highest levels in seven months during the week ended Wednesday, but ran into resistance to the upside and posted small losses in most months on a week-by-week basis. The nearby March contract was down sharply on the week, as traders exited the front month and […] Read more