USDA says drought losses not as bad as first feared

washington / reuters / The searing U.S. drought has done less damage than feared to the nation’s corn crop, and worldwide supplies of wheat, corn and soybeans are fairly stable despite harsh weather in North America and Europe, according to the USDA. The U.S. corn crop would be the smallest in six years and the

Solutions being sought

Manitoba has lost five per cent of its sow herd in the last two months as producers continue to downsize in the face of rising feed costs, a senior industry official says. “We all understand and agree there is a problem,” said Rick Bergmann, vice-chair of the Manitoba and Canadian Pork councils. “Now we are


Hog outlook to get worse before it gets better

The recent slump in nearby hog values may only mark the beginning of a season of pain for pork producers. Already-high feed costs look set to keep climbing just as hog values enter their traditional seasonal soft patch, which may place hog production margins under even more pressure. To make matters worse, inventories of pork

The value of natural capital

It’s hard to imagine that just one year ago, many areas of the province still had too much moisture. True, some farmers, such as those along the Assiniboine River downstream of the Shellmouth Dam are still suffering from too much water. But the story for the rest of the province this year is all about


Dryness a growing concern for crops in U.S. Midwest

chicago / reuters / The U.S. Midwest will see little rain over the next week to 10 days, but moderate temperatures will help slow deterioration of corn and soybean crop conditions, an agricultural meteorologist said June 4. “It’s not the best of forecasts, but the fact there will not be any extreme heat will marginalize

Federal support for swine research

The federal government has invested $200,000 into two Manitoba Pork Council research projects exploring improved health in swine barns and field studies of using swine manure in crop production. The first investment of over $150,000 will test the effectiveness of an electrostatic space charge system (ESCS) to reduce and prevent the airborne transmission of porcine


Bigger and bigger and …

Two years ago March 12, trumpets blasted in Ankeny, Iowa, as America’s new gladiators for agricultural justice — U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Jr., his antitrust chief Christine Varney, U.S. Department of Agriculture boss Tom Vilsack and hundreds of farmers — gathered for a day-long discussion on “competitive dynamics of the seed industry; trends in

Bigger U.S. subsidy cuts considered

Congress could slash U.S. farm subsidies far more than expected, perhaps by twice as much as proposed two months ago, to help trim the federal deficit, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Jan. 8. “It could be $23 billion. It could be $48 billion. It could be $33 billion,” Vilsack said on the sidelines of the


Kraft Foods condemns commodity speculation

Strengthening La Nia to grip U.S.

Hamburg | Reuters – U.S. giant Kraft Foods supports moves to regulate speculation in commodity markets, says a senior executive of its European unit. We hope very much that politicians will make concrete decisions for more transparency and regulation in commodity markets in the G20 s finance ministers group up to the next summit meeting

“Free Your Milk” Campaign Launched

Over half of Canadians think dairy products are too expensive, according to a recent survey by a restaurant and food services association. The current system is making Canadian milk and cheese less attractive and less affordable for everyone, said Garth Whyte, president and CEO of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA). The survey conducted