Farmers fear consolidation, not foreigners, in Viterra bid

Reuters / For most of the past year, western Canadian farmers have braced for the rush of competition that will follow the end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s 69-year-long monopoly on grain marketing in August. Now, they’re preparing for the possibility of seeing less than expected. The fertile region’s biggest grain handler, Viterra, said March

Canadian Wheat Board seen gaining grain-handling deals

Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said Feb. 27 he is confident the Canadian Wheat Board will strike agreements with grain handlers to allow it to start buying farmers’ 2012 crops for future delivery. As of Aug. 1, the wheat board plans to continue buying and selling upcoming crops, even though farmers will be no longer


More Crops Briefs, Jan. 26

Viterra shares stumble after disappointing Q4 Reuters / Shares of Viterra fell sharply after the grain handler reported disappointing quarterly results. The company reported lower-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings of three cents a share, although revenue of $3.1 billion topped expectations. CEO Mayo Schmidt said the results were “definitely disappointing.” However, for the year, Viterra’s profit jumped

How To Silence A Critic In 14 Days Or Less

TORONTO/REUTERS Viterra Inc. appointed a representative from its largest shareholder as a director less than two weeks after the same investor said the board was poorly equipped to lead Canada s biggest grain handler. Regina, Sa s k a t c h e w a n-based Viterra said late Nov. 11 that Brian Gibson had


Viterra Says CWB Can Thrive In Open Market

Winnipeg / reuters Canada s biggest grain handler, Viterra Inc., is willing to work with the Canadian Wheat Board in an open-market system and thinks the board can thrive without its marketing monopoly, chief executive Mayo Schmidt said Oct. 21. If the wheat board chooses to engage with industry to frame out a relationship and

Harper Orders Wheat Board Out Of The Way

Canada s Conservative government will pass legislation very soon to end the Canadian Wheat Board s monopoly on marketing western wheat and barley for milling or export, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Oct. 7, strongly warning the board to get out of the way. Harper, in Regina, Saskatchewan for the announcement for construction of Western


Australian Trade Minister Supports End To Single Desk

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has a new high-profile ally in his quest to end the Canadian Wheat Board s (CWB) single desk Australian trade minister Craig Emerson. The Australian Wheat Board s export monopoly ended in 2008 and Emerson said it has been a great success. The Australian experience has been unambiguously good, he said

It’s Not Too Late To Seed Some Forages

Most farmers have parked the seeder by mid-July, but this year, thanks to abundant moisture and a program offered by Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and Viterra, there are a few more reasons to plant some late forages. The Forage Incentive Program offers conservation-minded farmers up to $30 an acre to seed any of a number


Viterra Buys U.S. Legume Processor

Viterra Inc, Canada’s biggest grain handler, said June 20 that a subsidiary has bought Premier Pulses International Inc, a U.S. processor and seller of legume crops. The deal includes a pea and lentil processing and merchandising facility in Minot, North Dakota, and a marketing office in Lewiston, Idaho. Premier Pulses is located in the main

Who’s Responsible For A Viable Open-Market CWB?

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says the Canadian Wheat Board can survive in an open market, but it’s up to the board and the industry to figure out how. Ritz arrived for a half-hour visit at the board May 30 – his first-ever foray into its downtown offices – to inform officials there what he had