Lima | Reuters — At least two people have been killed in clashes at protests by potato farmers across the Peruvian Andes, police said on Thursday, as demonstrators demanded the government make good on promises to buy excess potatoes after a sharp price drop. Thousands of farmers took part in the protests on Wednesday and […] Read more
At least two killed in potato farmer protests in Peru
Cannabis firm Aphria mulls sale of U.S. unit
Reuters — Canadian cannabis company Aphria said Thursday it was exploring “strategic alternatives,” including a sale, for its U.S. business, amid tightening enforcement of federal cannabis laws in the country. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Justice revoked an Obama administration policy that discouraged federal prosecutors from pursuing marijuana-related crimes in states that had […] Read more
Southern Plains drought slows U.S. cattle herd growth
Chicago | Reuters — Encroaching drought in the U.S. southern Plains contributed to the smallest rise in the nation’s cattle population in three years, analysts said after the government’s semi-annual cattle inventory report on Wednesday. Insufficient moisture in parts of Texas and Oklahoma, along with areas of persistent dryness in the northern Plains, hurt winter […] Read more
Zimbabwe to give white farmers 99-year leases
Harare | Reuters — Zimbabwe will issue 99-year leases to white farmers, according to a government circular, after new President Emmerson Mnangagwa said he would end discrimination along racial lines in agriculture. Fewer than 400 white farmers are still operating in the southern African nation, after former president Robert Mugabe’s government evicted more than 4,000 […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle post losses, but off session lows
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures on Tuesday settled lower, weighed down by profit-taking and initial fund liquidation, said traders. Rising wholesale beef values and CME live cattle futures’ discount to prices for slaughter-ready or cash cattle lifted contracts from session bottoms. February live cattle finished 0.875 cents/lb. lower at 124.825 […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle rebound after sharp drop
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rose on Friday, with strength in the cash market underpinning a technical rebound from Thursday’s sharp decline, traders said. “We had a break that was a surprisingly quick break from the top,” said Don Roose, president of U.S. Commodities. “Today we brought back the technical […] Read more
Canadians spent $5.7 billion on cannabis in 2017
Ottawa | Reuters — Canadians spent an estimated $5.7 billion on cannabis in 2017, Statistics Canada said on Thursday, with the country on track to legalize recreational use of the drug nationwide later this year. About 4.9 million Canadians between the ages of 15 to 64 purchased both medical and non-medical cannabis last year, the […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle sink after hitting highest since early November
Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures dropped 2.2 percent after hitting their highest level in 2-1/2 months on Thursday, snapping a three-day winning streak as a rebound in the U.S. dollar sparked a round of profit-taking. “The pushback on the U.S. dollar maybe caught a few people off-guard,” said Rich Nelson, chief strategist with […] Read more
France says will not ban glyphosate when no alternative
Saint-Genes-Champanelle, France | Reuters — France will not force farmers to stop using glyphosate after a ban planned within three years, in cases where an alternative has not been found, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday. He added that this would likely concern 10 per cent of farms while solutions could be found for the […] Read more
Officials aim to forge ahead with TPP as Canada wavers
Tokyo | Reuters — As trade officials gather in Tokyo this week to try and forge ahead with a trade pact that U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned last year, the new 11-member club risks getting bogged down by resistance from Canada. The member countries of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), also […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
