
Author Archives

Swine fever found in Germany putting pork exports at risk
Country had been fencing off borders against wild boar
Berlin/Hamburg | Reuters — Germany confirmed on Thursday that African swine fever (ASF) had been found in a dead wild boar near its border with Poland, threatening pork exports to China from Europe’s biggest pork producer, which were worth US$1.2 billion last year. Authorities in the German state of Brandenburg quarantined a 15-km area around

EU wheat crop shows mixed results as harvest progresses
Reuters – This year’s soft wheat harvest in the European Union is expected to be sharply lower than last year due to adverse weather. “Wheat crops in large exporting countries at the two extremes of the bloc, northwest and southeast, have suffered a lot due to bad weather conditions this year,” Vincent Braak, analyst with

Drought slashes EU wheat, export surplus to be cut
Hamburg | Reuters – Drought and a heatwave that scorched fields in northern Europe may cut the European Union’s wheat export surplus and the bloc will need to consume more of its own grains, experts said on Friday. French analysts Strategie Grains forecast a 10 percent smaller EU soft wheat harvest this year, with northern

Straw prices soar, piling pressure on N.Europe livestock farmers
In some areas straw now more expensive than grains
Hamburg | London | Reuters – Livestock and dairy farmers across northern Europe are paying soaring prices for straw used in food and bedding for cattle, as hot, dry weather across the region reduces crops. The higher bills put further pressure on farmers already facing one of their toughest summers ever; many have had to

Saudi Arabian agency stops buying Canadian wheat, barley
Hamburg | Reuters – Saudi Arabia’s main state wheat buying agency has told grains exporters it will no longer buy Canadian wheat and barley in its international tenders, European traders said on Tuesday, as a diplomatic dispute between the two countries escalates. Traders said they had received an official notice from the Saudi Grains Organization

China may have to resume U.S. soybean purchases in weeks – Oil World
Hamburg | Reuters – China may have to start buying U.S. soybeans again in coming weeks despite the trade war between the two countries as other regions cannot supply enough soybeans to meet China’s needs, Hamburg-based oilseeds analysts Oil World said on Tuesday. In July, China imposed import tariffs on a list of U.S. goods,

Heatwave ravages European fields, sending wheat prices soaring
Paris | Moscow | Hamburg | Reuters – Searing heat has devastated wheat fields across northern Europe while a combination of dry conditions and extreme rain in the Black Sea have hit output estimates, with prices soaring on fears of further crop damage. Evidence of serious harm to crops is growing as harvesting heads north in

German farmers seek 1 billion euros in drought aid
Hamburg | Reuters – Farmers in Germany need special aid of around 1 billion euros ($1.17 billion) because of damage to harvests caused by drought and heatwave, the head of German farming association DBV said on Monday. The aid should be paid to farmers who have lost 30 percent and more of their harvests, DBV

EU farming chief wants rapid Brexit talks, plans new dairy aid
Hannover, Germany | Reuters — Europe’s agriculture industry, already grappling with a dairy crisis, wants rapid talks about Britain’s exit from the European Union to minimise disruption, EU farming commissioner Phil Hogan said on Thursday. “Farmers know better than anyone that you need stability and certainty to plan for the future,” Hogan said in a

Russia now expected to leave grain tax scheme intact
Moscow | Reuters — Russia, one of the world’s largest wheat exporters, is not expected to change its current regime of taxes on grain exports, sources said on Friday, following proposals to change them. Concerns over the possibility of tougher limits on Russia’s foreign sales of wheat sent global prices to a one-month high earlier
With roots going back to 1925, each weekly issue of the Manitoba Co-operator contains production, marketing and policy news selected for relevance to crops and livestock producers in Manitoba.