U.S. grain handler Andersons to exit retail business

Reuters — Loss-making U.S. grain handler Andersons Inc. said Sunday it plans to exit the retail business, affecting over 1,000 employees, at a time when the U.S. farm sector is facing a downturn due to a sharp decline in grain prices. The company, which buys grain, produces ethanol and leases rail cars, said it will

(Dave Bedard photo)

Loblaw reports better-than-expected profit

Reuters — Canadian grocery and pharmacy retailer Loblaw Cos. Ltd. reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday, as expenses fell and discounting attracted more shoppers. Profit at Loblaw’s main retail unit was helped by lower selling, general and administrative costs, and an increase in same-store sales in the quarter ending Oct. 8, the company said.


(FITTrials.com)

P+H bulking up on fertilizer in southeastern Saskatchewan

Winnipeg grain company Parrish and Heimbecker has started construction work to further boost its crop input retail profile in southeastern Saskatchewan. The company, in an online newsletter released this week, said it has fast-tracked work on a new 1,800-tonne capacity liquid fertilizer blend plant at Moosomin, Sask., to accompany a 16,000-tonne capacity dry fertilizer storage

(Photo courtesy Nutrien)

Fertilizer merger highlights big-picture concerns

CNS Canada — A multi-billion-dollar merger between two major crop input companies is the latest in a string of consolidation efforts in North America’s agriculture industry, drawing attention again to the possible effects on the value chain. Agrium and PotashCorp announced Monday they plan to combine to create an integrated global supplier of crop inputs,


(Dave Bedard photo)

Agrium sees opportunities from major merger talk

Reuters — Agrium, North America’s largest retail seller of products for crop producers, could benefit if some of the biggest makers of seed and agricultural chemicals merge, CEO Chuck Magro said on Wednesday. Responding to a question during a company investor day in Toronto about how possible tie-ups of ChemChina and Syngenta, or of Bayer

processing fish for caviar

Amidst an oil boom, North Dakota produces premium caviar

There is only a limited number of paddlefish that can be caught per year

North Dakota is known globally not just for prolific oil production, but also, it turns out, for caviar. A distinctly American version of the salty delicacy prized for centuries by Russian czars gets its start each May in the cool waters where the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers converge, the same spot where explorers Lewis and


The beer economy in Canada supports one out of every 100 jobs in Canada, a Conference Board of Canada report says. photo: thinkstock

Beer drink of choice among Canadians

If you’re an average beer drinker in Manitoba, a new report pegs your consumption at about 240 bottles a year. That’s the fifth-highest per capita consumption of beer in Canada and slightly higher than the national average 235 bottles, according to a new report from the Conference Board of Canada. From Farm to Glass: The

Pilot Mound prosciutto wins gold at food fight

Thin slivers of dry-cured ham passed the ultimate taste test, earning its creator a grand prize of $10,000 at the Great Manitoba Food Fight April 18. Clinton Cavers used recipes borrowed from his Italian friends to create the gold-medal-winning ‘old world recipe’ prosciutto, made from pork raised outdoors and processed in a meat shop on


Agrium blasts hedge fund’s breakup plans

Reuters / The war of words between fertilizer maker Agrium Inc. and its biggest shareholder, Jana Partners, escalated March 4 with Agrium slamming the hedge fund’s plan to split the company in a letter to investors ahead of its annual meeting next month. Calgary, Alberta-based Agrium, which has begun mailing its proxy circular to shareholders

Britain’s food agency seeks stringent tests on beef products

reuters / Britain’s horsemeat scandal has prompted the Food Standards Agency to demand a more stringent meat-testing program from U.K.’s retailers. The agency has demanded that food retailers and suppliers test all beef products such as burgers, meatballs and lasagne and present their findings to the agency by February 15. Britain’s food industry has been