Insights and Stories of Rod Nickel

Nov. 1, 2016 at 5:12 pm CDT

Reuters — U.S. fertilizer producer Mosaic Co. may need to restart its idled potash mine at Colonsay, Sask. next year, as international buyers work through inventories, the company said on Tuesday. Mosaic halted production in July at the mine, about 70 km southeast of Saskatoon, for the rest of 2016 […]

By Ismail Shakil, Rod Nickel

Oct. 27, 2016 at 10:49 am CDT

Toronto/Winnipeg | Reuters — The shareholders of Agrium and PotashCorp are set to overwhelmingly approve a merger of the two Canadian fertilizer producers, according to a source familiar with the situation, despite initial skepticism from Agrium investors. About 99 per cent of the votes from both groups of shareholders are […]

By John Tilak, Rod Nickel

Oct. 20, 2016 at 2:50 pm CDT

Winnipeg | Reuters –– As some Western Canada farmers watched rain and snow turn their ripening canola fields into bogs, Rob Stone could count his blessings. Harvest weather was kinder to his farm at Davidson, Sask., about 100 km southeast of Saskatoon, and Stone finished harvesting canola by mid-September. Then, […]

By Rod Nickel

Oct. 18, 2016 at 6:16 pm CDT

Winnipeg/Toronto | Reuters — Canada’s plan to price carbon emissions may weaken the farm sector in one of the biggest grain-shipping countries, raising farmers’ costs and discouraging investment in fertilizer production, industry groups say. Ottawa this month promised a price on carbon emissions by 2018, and will let provinces choose […]

By Alastair Sharp, Rod Nickel

Oct. 14, 2016 at 2:06 pm CDT

Winnipeg | Reuters — Canada’s big railways are pressing Ottawa to loosen rules around hauling the country’s crops — changes they say would improve efficiency but that farmers fear would weaken their bargaining power. A February report recommended that Ottawa institutes transportation system changes, including phasing out a 16-year-old cap […]

By Rod Nickel