Smithfield hit by higher hog prices Thursday, June 10, 2010 Smithfield Food Inc, and the analysts who keep an eye on it, have been caught off guard by the recent leap in hog prices. Meatingplace.com notes that Smithfield was warning investors before regular meetings that its fourth quarter numbers will be weaker than expected, in spite of changes in the way the company is doing business.A BMO Capital Markets analyst noted that Smithfield had still made the right decisions by restructuring its hog business and reducing the amount of debt carried on its balance sheet. The world's largest hog producer is expected to do much better in 2011.Higher raw material costs, meaning hogs, are affecting Smithfield's fresh pork business, while the unexpected run-up in futures has hurt the value of those assets, according to "mark to market" accounting, a system of assigning current market value to financial instruments. BP Bacon a must for foster children? Canada's share of world pork trade predicted to decline
Year-End Ag and Energy Markets Face Broad Commodity Pressure Tuesday, December 23, 2025 Moe Agostino, chief commodity strategist with Farms.com, wrapped up the final Ag Commodity Corner+ podcast of 2025 on December 19, offering a wide-ranging review of weekly market performance and key forces shaping agriculture and energy markets as the year comes to a close. Weekly closes showed... Read this article online
Maizex Seeds Breaks Ground on $8.8 Million State-of-the-Art Seed Corn Facility in Blenheim Tuesday, December 23, 2025 Maizex Seeds, the seed division of Sollio Agriculture, has announced the groundbreaking of an $8.8 million investment in a new seed corn processing and packaging plant at its Blenheim, Ontario facility. “This is a significant investment by Maizex that not only supports the ability of... Read this article online
AI Powered Weed Control Research Begins Tuesday, December 23, 2025 Ecorobotix has started a multi-year research partnership with Oregon State University to study how artificial intelligence can improve weed management in grass seed production systems. The project is focused on Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue seed crops, which are major parts of... Read this article online
Canada weighs approval of genetically engineered pigs Monday, December 22, 2025 According to a recent USDA-FAS report, Canada is reviewing the potential commercial use of genetically engineered pigs, while pausing regulatory changes related to cloned swine. USDA-FAS reports that Environment and Climate Change Canada consulted with the public between June 20 and July... Read this article online
Syngenta bringing two new Traxos herbicides to Western Canada Monday, December 22, 2025 Farmers in Western Canada will have two new Syngenta herbicides to include in their 2026 post-emerge crop plans. Traxos Xtreme and Traxos III are for growers producing spring wheat and durum. “Growers are increasingly looking for herbicides to tackle grass and broadleaf weeds with a... Read this article online