A Chinese takeover of Smithfields? Monday, August 5, 2013 Last year was financially unkind to Smithfield Foods Inc., the largest pork producer in the United States. While full year sales were up a full percentage point to US$13.2 billion, net income was down to $183.8 million, nearly a 50 per cent drop from $361 million a year before.The company's press release said pork production was not a money maker last year because of higher feed costs and other inputs. Any pork producer could have told you that.No wonder shareholders were enthusiastic about Shuanghui International, the largest butcher in China, taking over Smithfield sometime in the next six months. Shuanghui was offering US$31 a share for Smithfield Foods stock, a 31 per cent premium over the previous trading price of $25.75. The sale requires federal government approval.Shareholders aren't the only ones wondering where this is going. Producers across North America wonder what it will mean if a firm from China, the largest pork consumer and producer in the world, acquires the Smithfield company, if indeed the sale is approved. Is this more pork going to China and away from North American markets, or what else might happen? BP Coping with the wild boar invasion Tennessee backs down on ag-gag law
Alberta ROCT makes drug and weapons busts Thursday, June 25, 2026 A team of RCMP officers dedicated to keeping rural communities safe made significant drug and weapons busts recently. On June 20, the Rural Organized Crime Team (ROCT), which the provincial government provided $2 million of support for earlier in the month, found drugs and firearms during... Read this article online
Canada’s only commercial olive farm up for sale Thursday, June 25, 2026 A rarity in Canada, the only commercial olive farm in the country, is going up for auction in August. CLHbid.com will oversee the sale of The Olive Farm and its almost 74 acres of land in Salt Spring Island, B.C. Canadian olive production is very low because of its cold winters, and... Read this article online
Manitoba grain elevators listed as endangered Thursday, June 25, 2026 Grain elevators in the RM of Brenda-Waskada are considered some of the top 10 endangered structures in all of Manitoba. The Manitoba Historical Society on June 23 published its annual list of “historically significant buildings around our province that deserve to be preserved and better... Read this article online
NOAA Declares El Nino, Raising Key Weather Risks for Agriculture Thursday, June 25, 2026 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has officially declared the onset of El Niño, confirming that ocean temperatures in the central Pacific have risen high enough to trigger one of the world’s most influential climate patterns. The declaration follows sustained... Read this article online
Anti-Dumping Probe Targets Wheat Gluten Imports in Canada Thursday, June 25, 2026 The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has opened an anti-dumping investigation into certain wheat gluten imports entering the Canadian market from Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom. The inquiry will examine whether these products are being sold in Canada at unfairly low prices,... Read this article online