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
Farmers Balance Costs and Technology Investments - Tractor Sales Down Wednesday, March 11, 2026 Sales of agricultural tractors and combines in the United States and Canada delivered a mixed performance in February, highlighting how farmers are adapting their purchasing decisions amid shifting commodity markets, input costs, and economic conditions. While tractor sales softened... Read this article online
Sask. NDP wants tougher penalties related to foreign farmland ownership Wednesday, March 11, 2026 The Saskatchewan NDP wants foreign farmland owners who don’t obey the law to face stiffer penalties. Trent Wotherspoon, the party’s deputy shadow minister for agriculture and rural affairs, and the shadow minister of finance, introduced The Saskatchewan Farm Security (Foreign Farmland... Read this article online
Middle East conflict pushes fertilizer costs higher, forcing Ontario growers to rethink corn acres Wednesday, March 11, 2026 Ontario farmers are bracing for a turbulent spring as fertilizer and fuel prices surge in response to the escalating conflict involving Iran, a development that analysts say could reshape planting decisions across North America. The spike in nitrogen costs—the most critical and... Read this article online
Group calls on Health Canada to make labels mandatory for gene-edited pork Tuesday, March 10, 2026 An advocacy group of farmers and environmental organizations wants Health Canada to implement mandatory labelling on pork from gene-edited pigs. Earlier this year, the federal agency approved the sale of gene-edited pigs as food. The pigs are resistant to Porcine Reproductive and... Read this article online
Global Conflict Drives Major Surges in Commodity Markets Monday, March 9, 2026 A major international conflict the war in Iran has disrupted trade flows, pushing energy and grain prices sharply higher. On the weekly Ag Commodity Corner+ Podcast with Commodity Strategist Abhinesh Gopal shared the markets made sharp moves in the week of March 2 to 6, after a rapidly... Read this article online