Insights and Stories on Crops

Jun. 26, 2009 at 2:32 am CDT

“Substantially lower than forecasted” potash sales volumes have led the world’s largest potash producer to cut back its earnings guidance for its second fiscal quarter. Citing “deferral of purchases by customers around the world and lower realized prices for phosphate fertilizers,” Saskatoon-based PotashCorp said Thursday it would shift its target […]

Jun. 26, 2009 at 2:07 am CDT

Three irrigation districts around Saskatchewan’s Lake Diefenbaker plan to expand their total irrigation capacity by 15,000 acres using federal and provincial funding. “Our irrigation district has been attempting to expand for several years and were almost ready to show significant growth until the financial crisis hit,” Grant Pederson, board chairman […]

Jun. 26, 2009 at 1:26 am CDT

Mysterious crop circles in Tasmania’s pharmaceutical poppy fields may be a mystery no more. In an article Thursday in the online edition of The Mercury, Tasmania’s largest-circulating daily newspaper, reporter Damien Brown quoted Attorney-General Lara Giddings as saying the circles are created by wallabies, found hopping around in circles, high […]

By Dave Wreford

Jun. 25, 2009 at 6:58 pm CDT

Viterra and Australia’s ABB Grain have cleared one regulatory hurdle toward the Canadian grain handler sealing its $1.4 billion takeover deal. Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) has advised Viterra that FIRB has no objections to “the proposed scheme of arrangement” between Viterra and Adelaide-based ABB, in terms of Australia’s […]

Jun. 25, 2009 at 6:06 pm CDT

The Ontario and federal governments will put up $20.8 million over the next four years for farmers to build up their business management skills. The funding, which also includes $4.2 million for the 2008-09 “continuity year,” was announced Thursday for what’s called the Growing Forward Business Development Program. The program […]