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CANADA AND MANITOBA INVEST $17 MILLION IN THREE PROJECTS TO IMPROVE PROVINCIAL HIGHWAYS AND ROADS IN RURAL MANITOBA

THOMPSON - Investments in local infrastructure by the governments of Canada and Manitoba during this unprecedented time will help stimulate the economy and address the needs of all communities, including rural and remote communities, as they recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Investments to improve provincial highways and roads will create jobs, help bring goods and services closer to local markets, and build stronger, more connected communities.

Today, the Honourable Terry Duguid, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (Western Economic Diversification Canada) and to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change (Canada Water Agency), on behalf of the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Rural Economic Development; and the Honourable Ron Schuler, Minister of Infrastructure, announced more than $17 million in joint funding to improve three provincial highways and roads in rural Manitoba.

Up to 60 kilometres of road improvements

A bituminous rehabilitation project south of Snow Lake will restore approximately 26 km of Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 39 from Provincial Road (PR) 392 eastward. The federal and provincial governments will each provide more than $3.9 million to the highway rehabilitation

PR 280, near Thompson, will be upgraded over 10 km to meet demands of current traffic volume and projected trends surrounding the towns of Gillam and Sundance as well as the Community of Split Lake. The Government of Canada will invest over $2.4 million in this road upgrade with the government of Manitoba also contributing more than $2.4 million.

South of Duck Bay, approximately 24 km of existing bituminous road will be restored by adding an additional thin lift overlay of bituminous pavement on PTH 20 between PR 271 and 272. The Government of Canada will invest over $2 million, and the government of Manitoba will also contribute more than $2 million to the project.

Providing communities with reliable and sustainable infrastructure is a shared priority for both governments. The Government of Canada and the government of Manitoba are each investing more than $8.5 million toward eligible costs for these three road projects under the Rural and Northern Communities Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.

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2025 USDA December Crop Report a “Dud” + Trump $12 Billion U.S. Farm Aid

Video: 2025 USDA December Crop Report a “Dud” + Trump $12 Billion U.S. Farm Aid


The USDA December crop report was friendly corn, neutral soybeans and bearish wheat. The USDA did surprise and increase the 25/26 U.S. corn export forecast to a new record high at 3.2 billion bushels now up 12% vs. last year vs. prior at +9% vs. the export pace to date up 30% the best in 10 years even higher than 20/21! The USDA left the 25/26 U.S. soybean export pace unchanged at 1.635 billion bushels. Higher global wheat supplies will remain a weight and headwind for wheat into year end and start of 2026.
Mexico is now the #1 buyer of U.S. corn, soybeans (usually China), wheat and pork!
USDA also released its long-term early projections but expect more changes by February of 2026.
Trump announces a $12 billion U.S. farmer aid package to be paid out by February 28, 2026. This helps no one but the ag banks, farm equipment companies, seed and fertilizer companies. It does prevent more farmer bushels from being sold near-term but is not bullish grain prices long-term. The Trump administration should focus on increasing U.S. domestic demand and propping up grain futures so farmers can cover their higher costs, up since COVID of 2020.
The China U.S. soybean purchase tracker now stands at 4.521 mmt or 38% of the 12 mmt promised by China at year end or is it end of February or the growing season? Why the discrepancy vs. the fact sheet. The optics are poor for the Trump administration.
After surging to contract highs U.S. natural gas futures plunged over 30+% in just 5-trading days!
Silver traded to new record highs as the debasement and de dollarization trade continued but technicals remain overbought near-term.
Soybean futures remained in correction mode after the funds went record long futures on Nov. 19 +233,000 contracts but the $10.80 support should hold into year end when the fund profit taking/liquidation comes to an end from the year end, end of month and end of quarter selling.
The U.S. Fed cut interest rates for the 3rd time by 25 basis points to a range of 3.50 – 3.75% and they will only cut one more time in 2026 and once in 20267/ but when Powell is gone next April the replacement is willing to cut more aggressively and we could see U.S. interest rates fall to 2.0% very bullish for ag and stocks as it could reignite inflation into 2027.
After 2 months of being drier than normal in Brazil the rains have finally arrived for the 1st half of December, and a record crop is still in the cards but if this pattern continues and verifies it could start to delay the harvest. Argentina after being too wet has turned dry but they are too small, compared top Brazil in the grand picture.
The Canadian dollar surged to $0.73 after better-than-expected employment data with 180,000 new jobs in the past 3-months and 3rd quarter GDP at +2.6% but this could be short-lived.
The latest CFTC report as of 11-19-2025 reported a record long fund position in soybeans at +233,000 contracts when 2026 March soybean futures peaked on 11-19-25 at $11.724/bu.