While world grain supplies are growing rapidly after producing enormous global corn, soybean and wheat crops this year, Canada stands out with domestic stocks dropping after the bumper crop of 2013 to levels that are closer to average. “We’re seeing our stock levels forecast to drop now to fairly typical levels by the end of... Read More
Category: Podcasts
A repeat of last winter’s logistical nightmare for grain in Western Canada is unlikely. That’s because a combination of factors, including the federal shipping mandates for CN and CP Rail, summer weather and a smaller 2014 crop, have reduced the size of the rail backlog, noted the head of the company that monitors grain movement... Read More
Changes in U.S. monetary policy could be worth paying attention to in the next year. After nearly six years, the Federal Reserve announced this week that it is ending “quantitative easing,” the bond buy-back program implemented to help the U.S. economy through the recession. The end of QE is seen by many as a step... Read More
Are you ready for corn prices down around $2.70/bushel, or soybeans under $7 next fall? Those numbers were included in some of the projections shared in Winnipeg this week, as market analysts and traders from around the world gathered for the second annual Cereals North America market outlook conference. The conference was organized and co-hosted... Read More
Genetically engineering insects is no longer a vision for the future. In fact, one group of GE mosquitoes, Oxitec Ltd's OX513A, have moved from proof of principle to deployment, and have been used in open field trials in Malaysia, Grand Cayman, and now in Brazil. The mosquitoes are hoped to control their non-modified counterpart, Aedes... Read More
The bulls have continued to lead grain markets higher over the past week, translating into a selling opportunity for 2015 and even 2016, according to bearish analysts. From the Cereals North America market outlook conference in Winnipeg, here’s our weekly farm news recap for October 30th, 2014. Kelvin recaps what’s happened in the markets, the... Read More
Imagine floating weightless in an office far above earth, eating pizza straight out of a 3D printer. Well, astronauts may not be far from experiencing such unique meal preparations in space. In May 2013, NASA announced funding for a phase I, six-month $125, 000 study on 3D printing of foods in order to assess the... Read More
The idea that GMO-free foods are more "natural" than those with genetically modified ingredients is a misconception, says a plant biologist and advocate for genetic modification from the University of Florida. Speaking at the University of Manitoba last week, Kevin Folta discussed how transgenic (or GM) technology works and misunderstandings about genetically modified organisms. He... Read More
Plant breeding takes time. Significant amounts of it, in fact. While genetic resistance to things like diseases or pests or even built-in agronomic traits like standability are the ideal, a new wheat variety may take a decade to produce, and even then, still not meet all the needs of every farmer who grows it. In... Read More
This Ruminating with RealAg podcast takes us back to the Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference in Saskatoon, where we hear from Suzanne Bertrand, deputy director general at the International Livestock Research Institute, on the differences between Canadian and African adoption of genomics technology, and how genetically modified cattle could combat African Sleeping Sickness. Related: Julie Borlaug... Read More