General & Production Tips

Loblaw beats profit estimates as online sales surge

By Reuters, GFM Network News July 23, 2020

Reuters — Loblaw beat quarterly revenue and profit estimates on Thursday, driven by a near-fourfold jump in online sales, as stay-at-home Canadians used the retailer’s pickup and delivery services to stock up on bread, milk and eggs. With consumers still limiting their trips outdoors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company said it would invest […] Read more

Steve Verheul, federal assistant deputy minister for trade policy and negotiations, speaks online to the Commons standing committee on international trade on July 9, 2020. (Video screengrab from Parlvu.parl.gc.ca)

General, Markets

Canada’s pace in trade talks with U.K. raising frustration

Doubts remain on potential benefits for Canadian farmers

By GFM Network News July 22, 2020

The Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA) is expressing frustration over the pace at which Canada is engaging the United Kingdom toward a post-Brexit free trade deal. Steve Verheul, assistant deputy minister of trade policy and negotiations at Global Affairs Canada, told a parliamentary committee any deal between the two countries will be impacted by European […] Read more

General, Machinery

Briggs + Stratton filing for reorganization, courting buyers

Stalking-horse deal in place with private equity firm

By Dave Bedard, GFM Network News July 22, 2020

U.S. outdoor power equipment maker Briggs + Stratton has locked in a stalking-horse buyer for its assets as it seeks a court-supervised reorganization. The Milwaukee-based company announced Monday it has a stock and asset purchase agreement in place with New York private equity firm KPS Capital Partners, best known as an investor in manufacturing companies. […] Read more

General, Reuters

Feds proposing to expand wage subsidy program

By Reuters, GFM Network News July 18, 2020

Ottawa | Reuters — The Canadian government wants to expand an emergency wage subsidy program so that all businesses suffering losses from the COVID-19 outbreak will benefit, Finance Minister Bill Morneau said on Friday. Morneau told a news conference that Ottawa would drop an earlier requirement stipulating that businesses needed to show a 30 per […] Read more

(Pierre-Olivier Valiquette/iStock/Getty Images)

General, Markets, Reuters, Weather

U.S. court finds for California’s work with Quebec on carbon market

By GFM Network News July 18, 2020

Washington | Reuters — A U.S. federal district court has ruled that California’s co-ordination with Quebec in a cap-and-trade carbon emissions market is constitutional, a blow to the Trump administration made public in a filing late on Friday. In October, the Trump administration sued California for entering a climate agreement with Quebec, saying the state […] Read more

A view near the Canadian end of the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Windsor and Detroit and is considered one of North America’s busiest trade routes. (Steven_Kriemadis/iStock/Getty Images)

General, Markets, Reuters

Non-essential travel limits extended at U.S. borders with Canada, Mexico

By GFM Network News July 16, 2020

Washington/Ottawa | Reuters — Restrictions on non-essential travel at U.S. land borders with Canada and Mexico will be extended through Aug. 21, Canada and the United States announced Thursday. “Canada and the United States have agreed to extend the current border measures by one month until Aug. 21, and we’re going to keep working closely […] Read more

Sea surface temperature anomalies over the equatorial Pacific Ocean for the week centred on July 1, 2020. (CPC.ncep.noaa.gov)

General, Reuters, Weather

U.S. forecaster says La Nina expected to develop in fall 2020

By Reuters, GFM Network News July 9, 2020

Reuters — A U.S. government weather forecaster on Thursday forecast the development of a La Nina pattern during the August-October season, which is expected to persist through the remainder of 2020. There is about 50-55 per cent chance of La Nina developing during the Northern Hemisphere fall, with a 50 per cent chance it will […] Read more

A washout near Forrest in western Manitoba on June 29, 2020. (Manitoba Co-operator photo by Alexis Stockford)

General, Weather

Prairie summer weather patterns to hold for now

By GFM Network News July 8, 2020

MarketsFarm — No major changes in the current weather patterns on the Prairies are expected at this time, according to a pair of weather experts. So far this summer, the region’s weather has been highlighted by warmer and generally drier conditions in the eastern Prairies, while the western portion has been cooler with a great […] Read more

Canada/U.S. border signage in downtown Detroit. (RiverNorthPhotography/Getty Images)

General, Machinery, Markets, Reuters

CUSMA pact takes effect under cloud of disputes, COVID-19

Deal appears to assure continuity of trade for agriculture

By GFM Network News July 1, 2020

Washington/Mexico City/Ottawa | Reuters — A modernized U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade pact took effect on Wednesday, ensuring continuity for manufacturers and agriculture, but the threat of disputes is exposing cracks in what was meant to be a stronger North American fortress of competitiveness. As the deal kicks in, the Trump administration is threatening Canada with new aluminum […] Read more

An image created by Nexu Science Communication, together with Trinity College in Dublin, shows a model structurally representative of a betacoronavirus, the type of virus linked to COVID-19. (Nexu Science Communication via Reuters)

General, Markets, Reuters

Food exporters sign safety declarations in lieu of virus-free guarantees

By GFM Network News June 30, 2020

Reuters — U.S. food and feed exporters are shipping goods to China with letters assuring the safety of their cargo in lieu of official declarations requested by Chinese authorities that guarantee coronavirus-free shipments, a U.S. agricultural export group said on Friday. The commitment statements, drafted by the Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC), are meant only to […] Read more

Alberta Crop Report: Higher-than-average yields expected

U.S. livestock: Tight cattle supply helps CME futures rebound from collapse

U.S. grains: Soy futures post weekly loss on expectations for big U.S. crop

GFM Network News