Archive for June, 2021

MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA — Canadian National Railway Co. (CN) and Kansas City Southern (KCS) have moved a step closer in their merger process, filing certain documents with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) that will allow the STB to review the voting trust in connection with the definitive merger agreement between CN and KCS. In mid-May, CN agreed to acquire KCS in a transaction valued at $33.6 billion.

The newly filed documents include written opinions of financial advisers, debt commitment letters and ...

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — A serious water shortage since late 2020 has forced Taiwan to stop irrigating cropland, a move that will hurt rice production, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

With 46% of the rice planting area left fallow for the first 2021 crop, the USDA said production will be significantly impacted. In 2020, first crop rice production reached 1.1 million tonnes.

For the first time in 56 years, no typhoons passed ...

World coarse grains production is set to break records as farmers increase planted area in reaction to the highest prices in many years. Brazil and China will lead the way.

In its Feed Outlook report, published May 14, the Economic Research Service (ERS) of the US Department of Agriculture forecast global coarse grains production in 2021-22 at a record of 1.495 billion tonnes, up 58.5 million from the previous year. It warned, however, that the initial assessment is still highly tentative.

High ...

WASHINGTON, DC, US — The US Department of Agriculture in its June World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report issued June 10 forecast the carryover of wheat on June 1, 2022, at 770 million bushels, down 4 million bushels from the May outlook and down 82 million bushels, or 10%, from a downwardly revised 852 million bushels in 2020-21. The 2021 carryover was lowered 20 million bushels as estimated 2020-21 wheat exports were raised 20 million bushels to 985 million ...

WASHINGTON, DC, US — Pointing to lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and recent supply chain disruptions, the US Department of Agriculture on June 8 announced plans to invest more than $4 billion to strengthen critical supply chains through the Biden administration’s Build Back Better initiative. The new effort aimed to strengthen the food system, create new market opportunities, tackle the climate crisis, help communities that have been left behind, and support good-paying jobs throughout the supply chain.

The announcement was ...

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, US — Grain transportation markets were mostly quiet last week. Offerings at the Kansas City and Minneapolis gateways were limited.

In light of a large Kansas harvest projected by the Wheat Quality Council’s hard winter wheat tour following significant moisture events, shippers were heartened to hear Union Pacific Railroad at auction on June 1 sold cars at tariff for last-half July and both halves of August and September.

The average June shuttle railcar bids-offers per car on the secondary ...

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM — Industrial compound feed production in the European Union (EU) remained stable in 2020 despite the combined effect of the spread of animal diseases and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a June 7 report from the European Feed Manufacturers’ Federation (FEFAC).

EU compound feed production (EU 27+UK) for farmed animals in 2020 is estimated at 164.9 million tonnes, an incremental increase of 0.1% compared to 2019, according to data provided by FEFAC members. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and its ...