Grain markets this week were extremely volatile as they digested all of the information thrown at them, particularly that out of Washington and Beijing. China proposed a 25% import tax on soybeans, which took the market by a huge surprise (and left many scratching their heads at how China plans to meet their feedstuff demand).... Read More
Category: Western Canada
This week has been laced with trade threats, drama, and fear for agricultural commodity markets, all based on the possibility of a trade war between the U.S. and China. Most economists agree that though a trade war has yet to start, there is a serious flirtation with one. And no matter what President Trump tells... Read More
Recently, a dairy company out of Wisconsin rolled out its latest marketing campaign, claiming "Organic grass-fed milk is more nutritious. It's science." Well, there is good scientific evidence that the composition of milk from cows fed dry hay or fresh forage is higher in omega-3 fatty acids versus cows fed ensiled feed. But, does the... Read More
Milk cooler sales can tell you a lot about the state of the North American milk industry. As U.S. dairy farmers continue to struggle with low prices resulting from oversupply of fluid milk, sales of cooling systems reflect these challenging times in the marketplace. Mike Kelley, regional sales manager for Mueller Dairy Farm Equipment, says... Read More
HyLife Foods celebrated the expansion of its hog processing plant in Neepawa, MB, this week — an expansion that has been driven by growing demand for Canadian pork in Japan and China. The La Broquerie-based company has added 100,000 square feet to the facility, including new cutting floor space, a shipping/packaging area, and more cooling... Read More
Weather is never far from the minds or mouths of farmers, and this year is certainly no exception. With parts of the prairies under a thick blanket of snow, and Ontario dealing with a wet bias, concerns and opportunities, are aplenty. On Tuesday, RealAgriculture's Shaun Haney heard from four farmers from Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario.... Read More
When you feel that you have nothing to lose, you are at your most dangerous. With China proposing steep tariffs on U.S. pork, soybeans, cotton, tobacco, frozen orange juice, and corn, the market is trying to determine the probability this all comes to fruition as the bluster heats up. When you’re already $500 Billion DOWN,... Read More
Livestock traceability requirements for sheep are about to get much more involved across Canada. While sheep producers have long been required to tag sheep ahead of movement, actual tracking of livestock movement has only needed to be recorded, not reported. That is going to change very soon, and there is concern that the existing infrastructure... Read More
Richardson International is committing over $30 million to the development of a four-story, 62,000 square-foot innovation centre near the company's head office in Winnipeg, Manitoba. “Our goal is that the Richardson Innovation Centre will become a centre for collaboration — as a training facility for our employees and customers and an education centre for food... Read More