A United Nations special rapporteur on modern slavery has called out Canada’s temporary foreign worker (TFW) programs, including those in the agriculture sector. Tomoya Obokata, who was appointed by the UN’s Human Rights Council, spoke in Ottawa Sept. 6 following a 14-day visit to Canada. He called the programs “a breeding ground for contemporary forms […] Read more
UN rapporteur calls Canada’s TFW system ‘breeding ground for modern slavery’
Tomoya Obokata says government needs to better protect worker rights and provide better residency path
Canada bumps up wheat harvest view, trims canola estimate
StatCan releases yield outlook as of Aug. 31
Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian farmers will harvest slightly more wheat and a bit less canola than expected earlier in summer, but dry conditions will keep both crops small, a government report showed on Thursday. Farms in North and South America, Europe and Australia are facing crop losses as extreme weather spreads over an unusually […] Read more
Olymel to consolidate Ontario, Quebec further-processing
Chicken plant at Paris, Ont., and pork plant at Princeville, Que. to close
Pork and poultry packer Olymel is preparing to permanently shut two further-processing facilities and shift their work to other plants in a new round of consolidation. Olymel, the meat packing arm of Quebec’s Sollio Cooperative, announced Wednesday it will permanently close its pork boning and packaging plant at Princeville, Que. effective Nov. 10, and its […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Harvest pressure to weigh on canola
StatCan report not expected to cause much stir
MarketsFarm — The ICE Futures canola market posted gains for the first time in more than a week on Wednesday, but damage was done from a chart standpoint with mounting harvest pressure amid relatively favourable Prairie weather conditions likely to weigh on values over the next few weeks. “It’s that time of year,” said Jamie […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Prices for U.S. soybeans, corn where they should be
USDA report calls for tightest soy carryout in eight years
MarketsFarm — There have been no surprises in the price movement for U.S. soybeans and corn on the Chicago Board of Trade following the release of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s monthly supply and demand report. “This was a case [for soybeans] where the trade expected even tighter ending stocks. That 220 million bushels matched […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat rallies on Black Sea tensions
Corn prices follow wheat higher, soy gains as traders eye crop yields
New York | Reuters — Wheat futures on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) rose for a second straight session on Wednesday, as Russia reported Ukrainian strikes on a naval base in the grain-rich Black Sea region and Kyiv said its grain exports dropped sharply. Kyiv said on Wednesday more than 100 of its port […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures ease in technical setback after highs
Nearby lean hogs also down on technical selling
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live and feeder cattle futures retreated on Wednesday in a technical selling and profit-taking setback after hitting highs earlier in the week, traders said. Higher feed corn prices and a weak tone to the cash beef market added pressure, they said. “This is technical after feeder cattle hit […] Read more
Prairie Forecast: One last push of summer-like temperatures
Issued Sept. 13, covering Sept. 13-20
As we work our way slowly into fall, we are starting to see a more fall-like pattern beginning to develop — especially when it comes to overnight lows. While the upcoming forecast does not look like we see a big fall cooldown, there is more and more deviation developing between different runs of the forecast […] Read more
Thunder Bay grain shipments up on year
Grain traffic contributes to increase in overall cargo handle
MarketsFarm — Grain shipments through the Port of Thunder Bay are running well ahead of the year-ago level, with 3.747 million tonnes of grain shipped through the port on the northern shores of Lake Superior as of Aug. 31. That was up by 1.1 million tonnes from the previous year’s pace, but slightly behind the […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market continues to consolidate
U.S. feeder cattle supplies seen tighter than expected
Compared to last week, western Canadian grass yearling prices were relatively unchanged. Yearlings over 800 lbs. on light grain rations or on diets mixed with silage were priced at $5 to as much as $20 discount to those cattle coming straight off pasture. Larger groups of uniform quality continue to trade at a minor premium […] Read more