The chance of a rescue for Quebec’s Levinoff-Colbex cull cow packing plant has passed, now that the facility’s equipment has been sold off piecemeal at auction. Provincial investment financing agency Investissement Quebec and other creditors still own the Colbex building and land at St-Cyrille-de-Wendover, in the Centre-du-Quebec region. But the plant’s receivers sold its equipment to a consortium of […] Read more
Shuttered Que. beef plant’s equipment sold
H5N2-infected broilers being destroyed in B.C.
Flock depopulation is underway on a broiler breeder farm infected with a severe strain of H5N2 avian flu at Chilliwack, B.C. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced Friday it’s begun the process of “humanely euthanizing” the farm’s surviving chickens. The same depopulation and disposal process will follow “in the coming days” at three other Fraser […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle hit seven-week low in bearish fundamentals
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures on Friday sank to their lowest point since mid-October after the steep drop in cash and wholesale beef prices, traders said. December ended down two cents per pound at 164.45 cents, and February 2.1 cents lower at 164.875 cents (all figures US$). This week, market-ready […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans surge to one-week high on export demand, meal strength
Reuters — Soybeans climbed to a one-week high on Friday with a boost from strong export demand and meal prices, ahead of a key U.S. government crop report next week. Corn also advanced on spillover support from soybeans and export demand, while wheat futures rose on technical buying and in sympathy with corn and soybeans. […] Read more
Letter to the editor, Dec. 5, 2014
Rod Nickel’s article,“Canada’s wheat exports dogged by quality complaints,” incorrectly states that there has been an increase in the number of complaints from buyers of Canadian wheat since the removal of the single desk marketing authority from the Canadian Wheat Board. Since 2011-12, the last crop year that Canadian wheat was marketed through the Canadian […] Read more
PotashCorp reviews stakes in fertilizer firms with eye on control
Reuters — Saskatchewan’s PotashCorp, the world’s largest fertilizer producer, is sizing up its chances of gaining control of four companies in which it holds minority stakes, CEO Jochen Tilk said on Wednesday. Saskatoon-based PotashCorp is reviewing its $4.5 billion worth of investments in China’s Sinofert Holdings, Israel Chemicals, Jordan’s Arab Potash and Chile’s SQM. “The […] Read more
Burger King takeover of Tim’s gets federal approval
Canada’s federal industry minister has given his blessing to the planned takeover of iconic coffee-and-donut chain Tim Horton’s by U.S. fast food giant Burger King. James Moore said Thursday his ministry has reviewed the proposed US$15.5 billion takeover, as the Investment Canada Act requires for such foreign investment transactions. Through the review of Burger King’s […] Read more
Farmaceuticals: Powerful antibiotic for cows often misused by farmers
New York/Atlanta | Reuters — It is one of the most potent antibiotics used by U.S. cattle and dairy farmers, the key component in the top-selling drug line of Zoetis, the world’s largest animal health company. But the strength of the antibiotic ceftiofur — and the frequency with which it’s being misused on farms across […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle finish lower after wild ride
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures ended moderately lower on Thursday after a choppy session in which anticipation of lower cash prices overtook sporadic short-covering, traders said. December closed 0.4 cent per pound lower at 166.45 cents, and February down 0.15 cents at 166.975 cents. Packers curtailed production to stabilize their […] Read more
U.S. grains: Strong exports fuel corn, soy rally
Chicago | Reuters — Soybean and corn futures rose on Thursday on an export report that showed recent price declines have sparked strong overseas demand for U.S. commodities, traders said. “The exports have been pretty good for the last two or three weeks,” said Bill Gentry, broker at Risk Management Commodities. “Most of the guys […] Read more