(Dave Bedard photo)

Diesel prices expected to trend lower

MarketsFarm — Canadian producers may enjoy a lower diesel bill during spring seeding, as reductions in demand have weighed on diesel prices across North America. Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, said retail diesel prices are down by about 10 to 15 cents per litre since the beginning of the year. The drop


(ImagineGolf/E+/Getty Images)

Ag chem industry watching COVID-19’s spread

MarketsFarm –– China is a major producer of agricultural chemicals — and disruptions to production would have a ripple effect on North American supplies of crop protection inputs, such as herbicides and insecticides. Plant closures and transportation issues due to the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus are being followed closely, but the Canadian industry is reportedly

A worker pushes a cart of marijuana plants at the Canopy Growth facility at Smiths Falls, Ont. on Jan. 4, 2018. (File photo: Reuters/Chris Wattie)

Canopy Growth to shut two B.C. greenhouses, cut 500 jobs

Niagara greenhouse plans also shelved

Reuters — Pot producer Canopy Growth Corp. said on Wednesday it plans to close two of its greenhouses in Aldergrove and Delta, B.C., cutting about 500 positions. The company also said it no longer plans to open a third greenhouse in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. Canopy had said last month it aims to focus on reducing costs,

Agco plans to have its IdealDrive joysticks in North American fields in 2021. (Photo courtesy Agco)

Fendt takes (out) the wheel on new combines

Agco says it's first of majors to offer joystick steering

Agco has officially declared itself to be the first major farm equipment player to put joystick steering in a combine. The ag equipment manufacturer unveiled IdealDrive on Thursday during the Commodity Classic in San Antonio, billing the new steering system for its Fendt Ideal combines as “the first joystick steering system on a combine from




David Kayi, a Hello Tractor engineer, installs an application on a John Deere 5503 tractor, using the Hello Tractor technology that connects farmers with vehicles’ owners, at a hay farm at Umande village in Nanyuki, Kenya on Feb. 4, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Njeri Mwangi)

Deere taps tractor-hailing tech in bid to break ground in Africa

Low incomes, lack of credit hobble African mechanization

Nanyuki, Kenya/Johannesburg | Reuters — It’s ride-hailing, farm style. Deere and Co. is teaming up with the “Uber of tractors” in Africa and betting on a future where farmers summon machines with the touch of a button. The world’s leading farm equipment maker is outfitting its tractors with startup Hello Tractor’s technology, which allows farmers


Cargill’s existing protein ingredient lines include Prosante textured soy flour (TSF), which is already used in plant-based ground beef substitutes. (Cargill.com)

Cargill to enter faux-meat market

Major processor/packer expanding plant-based protein product line

U.S. agrifood giant Cargill is set to bring its crop supply chain further into its proteins business via a new line of plant-based patty and ground products for the retail and foodservice sectors. Already a major player in meat protein, with assets including two major Canadian packing plants processing up to 6,000 head of cattle

cgc

Grain Commission’s chief announces retirement

AAFC's review of Grain Act, and of CGC's future, continues

The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) is seeking a new chief commissioner. Patti Miller, who has held the position for three years, announced Tuesday to CGC staff that she will retire June 26. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) “will be launching an open, transparent and merit-based process to find a new commissioner as soon as possible,”