Escalation of the U.S. trade war is casting a cloud over Canada’s economic prospects. Farm Credit Canada’s new economic analysis is looking at why bond yields are rising and whether that concerning trend will continue. 

Part of the problem seems to be tariffs, which have raised the U.S. inflation rate. That’s bad news for bond investors because inflation erodes the real return on Treasuries. Bond investors are also asking for extra compensation for enhanced risks associated with Treasuries which is now at a 12-year high. 

Given the interconnectedness of global bond markets, bonds of other countries, including Canada, are being impacted. For Canadian households and businesses, this means fixed mortgage rates and longterm financing costs will remain much higher than levels prevailing during the 2010s.

September 2, 2026 – The Canadian Oilseed Processors Association (COPA) is pleased to announce that Steve Pratte will join the organization as director of policy, effective September 2, 2026.

“We are pleased to welcome Steve to COPA,” says Mark Walker, executive director of the Canadian Oilseed Processors Association. “Steve brings expertise in transportation policy and regulatory affairs, as well as significant experience in the Canadian grains sector. His work will strengthen COPA’s policy capacity and help advance the priorities of Canada’s oilseed processing industry.”

Pratte brings almost 20 years of experience in transportation and biofuels policy across both the public and private sectors. He has held positions with a Class 1 railway, a national grain industry association, as well as the government of Manitoba. Pratte was also the 50th president of the Canadian Transportation Research Forum, serving in that role from 2021 to 2023. Most recently, he has worked as a consultant focusing on transportation issues and regulatory affairs affecting the Canadian grains sector.

“Canada’s oilseed processing sector operates at the intersection of agriculture, food, biofuels and transportation policy,” says Pratte. “I’m pleased to be joining COPA and look forward to working with members and industry partners to support a competitive oilseed processing sector in Canada.”

Pratte holds a Bachelor of Arts, a Diploma in Civil Engineering Technology and a Master of Arts in Geography. He has also completed a professional program in supply chain and logistics management.

Herndon, Va.; Aug. 28, 2026 – PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, today announced the release of its 2026 Robotics in US Packaging & Processing Report and accompanying infographic, offering a data-rich look at the technologies, investment priorities, and adoption challenges reshaping U.S. packaging and processing operations.

Produced by PMMI in conjunction with market intelligence firm Interact Analysis, the report finds that the U.S. robotics market serving packaging and processing was worth more than $440 million in 2025 and is projected to reach approximately $800 million by 2031, representing a 10.3% compound annual growth rate.

“Robotics adoption is moving from targeted applications toward a broader role in packaging and processing operations,” says Jorge Izquierdo, vice president, market development, PMMI. “The research shows that end users are looking beyond labor availability alone. They are prioritizing measurable gains in throughput, cost, quality, and consistency — and they expect reliable systems, strong service, and a clear path to ROI.”

Industrial robots represented 63% of the market in 2025, followed by mobile robots at 32% and collaborative robots at 5%. By 2031, mobile robots are forecast to become the largest segment, reaching a 45% market share. The report also anticipates that humanoid robots, currently a small and largely pilot-stage segment, will grow from 0.1% to 5% of the market by 2031.

Among end users surveyed, 72% currently use robotics; that figure is expected to climb to 95% by 2031. Sixty-one percent expect to increase robotics investment over the next year. Momentum is similarly strong among OEMs and integrators: 69% currently include robotics in their portfolios, 86% expect to do so by 2031, and 81% anticipate increasing investment over the next year.

End users identified increasing throughput and productivity, reducing costs, and improving quality and consistency as the top three drivers of adoption. Their leading criteria when selecting an OEM are reliability and uptime performance, the availability and quality of service and support, and demonstrated ROI or payback.

The research also identifies persistent hurdles: high upfront cost, integration with existing equipment and systems, and maintenance and service support concerns. Looking ahead, the applications generating the most interest include robotic arms that load packaging materials into machines, mobile robots that bring materials to the line, mobile robots equipped with cobot arms, and processing applications.

The report offers a strategic view of where robotics is headed. PACK EXPO International brings those insights to life through live technology demonstrations and direct conversations with suppliers about integration, service, safety, uptime, and ROI.

Soybean is a critical element of the global food supply: Between its use for animal feed and human consumption, it accounts for roughly two-thirds of plant-based protein meal output world-wide. Canada is a global leader in sustainable soybean production, with 70% of its crop, one of the country’s top three by value, exported annually.

According to Brazilian scientist Gabriel Montanha, soy production has “exploded” in recent decades to meet demand – but there hasn’t been a corresponding increase in soybean’s protein content. “To ensure soy remains a sustainable crop, we need to increase the protein content of soy seeds,” says Montanha, who is doing a postdoctoral fellowship at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France. “It's critical we find ways want to generate more protein without increasing the amount of land we’re currently cultivating.”

Montanha and colleagues used the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), and Brazil’s National Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS) to determine if the mineral content of soybean seeds could influence their nutritional content. With the help of synchrotron imaging, the researchers investigated the location of proteins and minerals inside four types of soybean seeds; they found that certain minerals appear to play a crucial role in protein formation.

“We could see that the genotypes that had higher protein content also had higher zinc and sulphur,” says Montanha, who completed this research as part of his PhD, alongside collaborators at Brazil’s University of São Paulo and Sapienza University of Rome (Italy). The team’s findings are published in the journal ACS Agricultural Science & Technology and highlighted on the cover the journal’s current issue.

Montanha says the imaging they did at the CLS and LNLS was key to the research. “The use of these different tools for structural and chemical imaging of biological materials really pushed us forward to understand the role of the nutrients in the plant’s physiology.”

He and colleagues are already working on fertilization techniques that could ensure soy seeds have access to sulphur and zinc at key points in their development to boost protein content.