Category: Agriculture

No-spray zones divide French farmers from anxious neighbours

CanadianInvestor
No-spray zones divide French farmers from anxious neighbours
PARIS — When tractors laden with pesticides and other chemicals start spraying the vineyards that produce fruity Bordeaux wines, Marie-Lys Bibeyran’s phone starts to ring. “People call me and say, ‘I was on my terrace having lunch and we had to rush inside, the kids were in the swimming pool,'” says the Bordeaux vineyard worker who turned anti-pesticide campaigner after... Read More

China keeps penalties on US pork, soy, eases some others

CanadianInvestor
China keeps penalties on US pork, soy, eases some others
BEIJING — China announced Wednesday it will exempt American industrial grease and some other imports from tariff hikes in a trade war with Washington but kept in place higher duties on soybeans and other major U.S. exports ahead of negotiations next month. The move adds to suggestions both governments might be settling in for extended conflict by fine-tuning import controls... Read More

Liberals tap economic adviser Dominic Barton as new ambassador to China

CanadianInvestor
Liberals tap economic adviser Dominic Barton as new ambassador to China
OTTAWA — Dominic Barton brings to his new job as Canada’s ambassador to China the acumen of a savvy, globe-trotting business consultant with an enriched understanding of how to properly grease wheels and make profitable deals. Barton’s success in the new job will be measured by his ability to negotiate one straightforward transaction: persuade Beijing’s communist leaders to release imprisoned... Read More

First-quarter update: Saskatchewan surplus projection shrinks $9 million

CanadianInvestor
First-quarter update: Saskatchewan surplus projection shrinks $9 million
SASKATOON — The Saskatchewan government says its first budget update of the fiscal year shows the province is still on its way to balancing the books. The government’s first-quarter results project the province will finish the year with a surplus of nearly $26 million — almost $9 million less than what was expected when the budget was released in the spring. It says the reduction is due to... Read More

Agriculture could add $11B a year to Canada’s GDP by 2030, report finds

CanadianInvestor
Agriculture could add $11B a year to Canada’s GDP by 2030, report finds
Canada’s agriculture industry could generate an additional $11 billion for the country’s gross domestic product annually by 2030 if the government invests in people and technology, according to a new report. “The demand for food is growing significantly and it’s going to be massive in the 2020s,” said John Stackhouse, senior vice president at RBC and contributor to the report. By 2030, there will be... Read More

G7 leaders reach deal to offer help to fight wildfires in Amazon rainforest

CanadianInvestor
G7 leaders reach deal to offer help to fight wildfires in Amazon rainforest
BIARRITZ, France — G7 leaders have come to an agreement to help Brazil fight the raging wildfires in the Amazon rainforest, which have erupted into a global flashpoint over the perils of climate change. French President Emmanuel Macron, who is hosting this year’s gathering of the leaders of the world’s seven largest economies, says the G7 plans to offer short-term assistance to help... Read More

Prospect of U.S.-China trade deal creates access worries for Canadian farmers

CanadianInvestor
Prospect of U.S.-China trade deal creates access worries for Canadian farmers
OTTAWA — China’s move to stop buying several Canadian agricultural products has punished some farmers, and now industry leaders are worrying about the prospect of a broader threat — an eventual U.S.-China trade deal. Canadian exports of beef, pork, canola and soybeans have largely been locked out of the massive Chinese market following the December arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver. At the same time, a handful of Canadian crops have had stronger sales to China... Read More

Mosaic lays off about 350 workers as it idles Colonsay mine in Saskatchewan

CanadianInvestor
Mosaic lays off about 350 workers as it idles Colonsay mine in Saskatchewan
COLONSAY, Sask. — The Mosaic Co. says it is cutting about 350 workers at its Colonsay potash mine in Saskatchewan as it ramps up production at a lower-cost operation. The fertilizer giant says it has issued 395 layoff notices to hourly workers as it indefinitely idles the Colonsay mine, but expects 52 of those workers to stay on to keep the operation on... Read More

Equipment dealer blames farm trade wars as plans for aggressive growth stall

CanadianInvestor
Equipment dealer blames farm trade wars as plans for aggressive growth stall
CALGARY — Canada’s largest agriculture equipment dealer says it is scrapping its aggressive growth strategy in part because of farmer pessimism it blames on unsolved international trade disputes. Rocky Mountain Dealerships Inc. cited the federal government’s inability to solve trade battles with China, India and Saudi Arabia as it reported second-quarter financial results that fell well short of analyst expectations.... Read More

Nutrien shares rise on strong Q2 results despite ‘worst’ U.S. planting season

CanadianInvestor
Nutrien shares rise on strong Q2 results despite ‘worst’ U.S. planting season
SASKATOON — Shares in Canadian fertilizer giant Nutrien Ltd. jumped by as much as 8.6 per cent Tuesday after it posted strong second-quarter results despite what it called the “worst U.S. planting season in history.” The company cut its estimate for 2019 adjusted earnings by about five per cent to account for the impact of severe wet weather that prevented planting of corn fields in... Read More