Winnipeg | Reuters — Richardson International, one of Canada’s largest grain handlers, is seeking expansion in the U.S. through acquisitions worth $100 million to as much as $2 billion, its CEO said Thursday. Richardson, which now owns two U.S. mills, is interested in Andersons Inc. and private companies Bartlett and Scoular, as well as co-operatives, […] Read more
Richardson targets U.S. acquisitions
Prairie farmers set fastest planting pace in a decade
Winnipeg | Reuters — Western Canada’s farmers are sowing crops at the speediest pace in about 10 years, which bodes well for an early, large harvest this autumn. More than half of the region’s farmland is planted, compared with the usual pace of one-quarter, due to dry conditions, said Bruce Burnett, weather and crop specialist […] Read more
Bunge resumes canola crushing after fire, soy line down
Reuters — Agrifood firm Bunge Ltd. restarted canola processing at its Hamilton, Ont. plant late Thursday after a fire, spokeswoman Deb Seidel said Friday. She said the plant will resume soybean processing after the investigation into the fire is complete and water is cleaned up. There were no injuries, she said. According to Hamilton’s fire […] Read more
Cost-cutting Mosaic CEO collects $5.5M pay raise
Reuters — U.S. fertilizer producer Mosaic Co. boosted its CEO’s pay last year by more than $5 million as a reward for slashing costs and jobs, a regulatory filing shows. Construction of excess potash capacity and fiercer competition have pressured the sector, and leading North American producers Mosaic, PotashCorp and Agrium have chopped expenses. Mosaic […] Read more
Taiwan, Japan ban Ont. poultry over avian flu
Winnipeg | Reuters — Japan and Taiwan have imposed trade restrictions on poultry and poultry products from Ontario, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Tuesday, a day after avian flu was confirmed in the province. The government agency said a turkey farm near Woodstock, Ont. was under quarantine after the presence of H5 avian influenza […] Read more
Canada reducing number of meat inspections, union says
Winnipeg | Reuters –– The Canadian government, under pressure to eliminate its budget deficit, has reduced the frequency of inspections at certain Alberta meat-packing plants and plans to cut spending on food safety, the food inspectors’ union said on Tuesday. The cutbacks follow two major meat recalls over foodborne illness in recent years. Ottawa had […] Read more
Soybeans cut swath through Prairie wheat belt
Winnipeg | Reuters –– Soybeans, once a novelty in western Canadian fields, are poised to reach record-large acreage again this year, and some of the world’s biggest seed companies are betting they have further room to grow in a region known for wheat and canola. Farmers on the eastern side of the Prairies are turning […] Read more
Prairie farmers eye early start to seeding
Winnipeg | Reuters –– Western Canadian farmers, some of whom could not plant crops last year due to soggy soil, may be able to get a head-start on sowing their fields this spring. Canada is the world’s biggest canola exporter and the second largest wheat exporter, but its flat western provinces — Manitoba, Saskatchewan and […] Read more
Saskatchewan aims to ease potash tax’s price reliance
Winnipeg | Reuters — Resource-rich Saskatchewan wants to change the taxes it charges on production of potash, to better reflect output and lessen the influence of potash prices, the province’s economy minister said Thursday. Potash prices have weakened since 2012 as capacity has increased. Competition has also sharpened since the 2013 breakup of Belarusian Potash […] Read more
SQM stock plummets after directors from PotashCorp resign
Reuters — Shares in Chilean fertilizer group SQM plunged Wednesday after three board representatives from Saskatchewan’s PotashCorp resigned in protest at its handling of an illicit payments scandal that has shaken the Chilean establishment. SQM vice-chairman Wayne Brownlee, the chief financial officer at PotashCorp, and two directors stepped down late Tuesday after clashing with the […] Read more
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