Winnipeg farm equipment manufacturer Buhler Industries is reducing its workforce and paring back production ahead of an expected drop in farm incomes. The company, whose brands include Versatile tractors and Farm King implements, announced its first-quarter financials Friday for the period ending Dec. 31, booking net profit of $1.5 million on fourth-best quarterly revenue of […] Read more
Ag equipment maker Buhler cutting production, staff
Optimism for Canada to plant 100K acres to sunflowers
CNS Canada — Wet weather may have cost western Canadian producers 20,000 acres of sunflowers last year, according to one industry watcher who’s hopeful 2015 will be a little kinder. “We were anticipating over 100,000 acres last year and as it turned out we came into that 80,000 range,” said Ben Friesen, purchasing manager for […] Read more
CWRS wheat bids rise with U.S. futures
CNS Canada — Cash bids for Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat across the Prairies generally moved higher during the week ended Friday. Average CWRS prices gained about $7-$9 per tonne, with prices ranging from about $210 per tonne in north-central Saskatchewan to $228 in Manitoba, according to bids from a cross-section of delivery points […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy hits one-month high on soymeal gains, NOPA data
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybeans climbed to a one-month peak on Tuesday, lifted by a three per cent spike in soymeal futures and data showing near-record domestic crushings of the beans in January, traders said. Wheat futures were mixed, with some contracts turning lower after earlier hitting three-week highs on a short-covering bounce. Corn […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Profit-taking slams CME live cattle, hogs
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures finished sharply lower on Tuesday on profit-taking following Friday’s rally, traders said. February closed 1.4 cents per pound lower at 158.6 cents, and April down 2.5 cents at 150.725 cents (all figures US$). West Coast port slowdowns and disappointing volumes of cattle sold last week, […] Read more
S. Africa’s proposed ban on foreign land ownership aimed at farms
Johannesburg | Reuters — A South African government proposal to ban foreign nationals from owning land will apply to farms, not residential property, a government minister was quoted as saying Tuesday. In his State of the Nation address last week, President Jacob Zuma said foreigners would be barred from owning land and South African citizens […] Read more
Burger King, Tim Hortons owner posts loss on deal costs
Toronto | Reuters — Restaurant Brands International Inc., formed out of Burger King’s takeover of coffee and doughnut chain Tim Hortons last year, saw robust quarterly sales growth at both brands, but posted a net loss due to one-time costs related to the merger. Shares of the company, which had jumped more than 40 per […] Read more
Arctic blast hits U.S. Midwest, some wheat at risk of winterkill
Chicago | Reuters –– An arctic blast hitting the heart of the U.S. Midwest soft red winter wheat belt this week will put 10 to 15 per cent of the dormant crop at risk of winterkill damage, agricultural meteorologists said Tuesday. While most of the northern Midwest wheat crop is protected by snow from frigid […] Read more
CP engineers, conductors halt strike
Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) and its unionized conductors, engineers, trainmen and yardmen agreed Monday to binding arbitration in their contract talks, ending a strike the day after it began. The end of the strike, which began Sunday just after midnight, comes under the threat of federal back-to-work legislation, which was due to be tabled Monday […] Read more
Zilmax cleared for component feeding in Canada
Canada has granted the makers of cattle feed additive Zilmax an expanded product label that allows for component feeding at the lower end of its dosage range — and draws the line for a maximum rate in complete feed. Merck Animal Health on Friday announced approval from Health Canada’s Veterinary Drugs Directorate (VDD) to update […] Read more