(Dave Bedard photo)

Trade’s crop estimates vary ahead of StatsCan report

MarketsFarm — Barley and canola production expectations vary ahead of Statistics Canada’s production of principal field crops report, due out Friday. In September, the federal agency estimated Canada’s barley production to total just less than 10 million tonnes, two million higher than the final count for the 2018-19 growing year. However, some trade estimates are



CBOT January 2020 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy rises on trade hopes

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rose on Wednesday, buoyed by renewed optimism about a U.S.-China trade deal as well as some bargain buying, traders said. Corn futures were lower, giving up early gains on technical selling, while wheat futures firmed after two days of sharp declines. Investors were reassured by a Bloomberg report

(JimPattison.com)

Pattison to shut one Saskatchewan Deere dealership

Pattison Agriculture’s chain of Deere ag equipment dealerships in Saskatchewan and Manitoba is preparing to cut one link. The Prairie farm equipment sales and service arm of B.C.’s Jim Pattison Group announced Tuesday on its website and social media it will permanently close its dealership at Foam Lake, Sask. effective Dec. 31. The Pattison store



There are great opportunities for Canadian pulses, not only as commodity exports, but as food products, AGT CEO Murad Al-Katib says. (MarketsFarm photo by Glen Hallick)

Grain World: Opportunities great for Canadian pulses, AGT CEO says

Saskatoon | MarketsFarm — To Murad Al-Katib, the opportunities for Canadian pulse exports to India are amazing, provided one correctly understands the context of India’s tariffs on pulses. Also, he said, those Canadian exporters must realize they need to switch from being solely dependent on commodities to adding value by shipping food and ingredients. “We


(AGTFoods.com)

Grain World: AGT books eventful 2019

Saskatoon | MarketsFarm — This year has been a watershed year for AGT Food and Ingredients, the company’s CEO Murad Al-Katib told the Grain World conference in Saskatoon. AGT was delisted from the TSX earlier in 2019, as Al-Katib moved to take the company private after 12 years of being publicly traded. Its new ownership

A freight train at Manchac, La., about 75 km east of Baton Rouge. (CN.ca)

CN strike to weigh on railway’s 2019 profit

Reuters — Canadian National Railway on Tuesday cut its adjusted profit growth target for 2019, citing shipment delays from the country’s largest rail strike in a decade that ended last week. Shares in CN, which counts billionaire Bill Gates’ investment firm as its biggest shareholder, fell almost two per cent in morning trading in both


CBOT March 2020 wheat with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat futures drop sharply

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soft red winter wheat futures sagged 1.8 per cent on Tuesday, the biggest percentage loss for the most-active contract in two months, on a round of profit-taking and technical selling, traders said. U.S. corn futures closed narrowly mixed, with nearby contracts weighed down by the drop in

A cargo ship is loaded with Brazilian soybeans bound for China. (Photo: Reuters/Paulo Whitaker)

Trump, citing U.S. farmers, slaps metal tariffs on Brazil, Argentina

Washington/Rio de Janeiro | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump ambushed Brazil and Argentina on Monday, announcing tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum imports from the two countries in a measure that shocked South American officials and left them scrambling for answers. In an early morning tweet, Trump said the tariffs, “effective immediately,” were necessary