FCL’s Co-op Fertilizer Terminal at Brandon. (Photo courtesy Federated Co-operatives Ltd.)

Fertilizer prices to remain high for now

MarketsFarm — There are two factors to consider when it comes to fertilizer. One is the cost as it’s to remain quite expensive at least through the first quarter of 2022, according to Chris Lawson, head of fertilizers for the CRU Group. The other is its availability, said Todd Lewis, president of the Agricultural Producers […] Read more

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to media on the Parliament premises in New Delhi in this Nov. 18, 2019 file photo. (Photo: Reuters/Altaf Hussain)

India’s Modi backs down on farm reforms in surprise win for protesters

Laws to be repealed in upcoming parliament session; protests to continue until then

Ghaziabad, India | Reuters — In a surprise announcement Friday, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he would repeal agriculture laws that farmers have been protesting against for more than a year, sparking celebrations for what farmers called a hard-fought victory. Modi’s decision is a significant climb-down for the combative leader and comes as state […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Feds tighten forecast for wheat carryout

MarketsFarm — Canadian wheat carryout for the 2021-22 crop year will be even tighter than earlier forecasts, according to updated supply/demand estimates from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), released Wednesday. The October report included only minor adjustments for most crops, with the most notable change from September being a 500,000-tonne reduction in projected wheat ending […] Read more

File photo of a soybean plantation in Brazil. (Mailson Pignata/iStock/Getty Images)

More acres seen needed worldwide to meet mounting crops demand

U.S. acres may have already hit ceiling: AgResource chief

Geneva | Reuters — Farmers need more space to grow crops to meet mounting demand for food and renewable fuel at a time of slowing growth in yields, consultancy AgResource said on Tuesday. A renewable fuel push under U.S. President Joe Biden’s climate agenda is set to trigger a boom in soyoil use, reinforcing a […] Read more


The Garden City container terminal at Savannah is operated by Ports America on behalf of the Georgia Ports Authority. (Photo courtesy Georgia Ports Authority)

Canada’s CPPIB to buy major U.S. port terminal operator

Canada Pension Plan's play furthers its infrastructure push

Reuters — Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) said on Wednesday it had agreed to buy Ports America, one of the largest marine terminal operators in the U.S., from investment firm Oaktree Capital Management. While no valuation was given in the announcement, the deal values Ports America at over US$4 billion, according to two sources […] Read more

File photo of equipment tracks over a field in England. (Georgeclerk/E+/Getty Images)

Regulations on gene-edited crops to be eased in England

London | Reuters — Britain’s farming and environment minister George Eustice announced Wednesday that regulations related to gene editing in agricultural research would be eased in England following a public consultation. Rules will now largely be aligned with conventional breeding methods for research and development into plants although scientists will still be required to notify […] Read more


Farmers plant saplings in a rice field on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India on July 5, 2019. (File photo: Reuters/Amit Dave)

India unveils new rice variety to reduce water use, labour

New Delhi | Reuters — India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched an array of new high-yielding crop varieties, including herbicide-tolerant rice that can be directly sown into the soil, cutting expenditure on water and farm workers. In India, the world’s biggest rice exporter, the conventional method of rice cultivation requires farmers to sow […] Read more

(Vonkara1/E+/Getty Images)

Interview: Counting crops in advance

Reviewing the latest from StatsCan and USDA

Statistics Canada on Tuesday released new model-based estimates for the country’s principal field crops, projecting “substantial” yield declines for most of the major crops grown in Canada, due mainly to drought conditions across much of Western Canada during much of the growing season. The previous Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its latest world […] Read more


Tropical Storm Nicholas in the Gulf of Mexico on Sept. 14, 2021. (Nesdis.noaa.gov)

Some grain terminals restart after Ida as Nicholas rains arrive

Reuters — Another grain export terminal near Louisiana’s Gulf Coast shuttered for two weeks by Hurricane Ida restarted operations this week even as heavy rains from Tropical Storm Nicholas battered the region on Tuesday. Global grain trader Cargill said it had reopened its Westwego, La. grain export terminal and on Monday unloaded its first grain […] Read more

A soybean crop at Headingley, Man. on Sept. 2, 2021. StatsCan’s latest estimates project drought-hit Manitoba’s soybean production to drop by 22.2 per cent from 2021, while Canada’s soybean harvest overall is expected down 7.4 per cent on the year. (Dave Bedard photo)

Prairie crops downgraded in latest StatsCan estimates

Corn, soybean crops upsized from previous report

MarketsFarm — Drought conditions across Canada’s Prairies cut into yields throughout the region in 2021, with production of most of the major crops downgraded by Statistics Canada in updated crop estimates released Tuesday. Using satellite imagery, the government agency now sees total canola production for the 2021-22 crop year at 12.78 million tonnes, which compares […] Read more