February 23, 2012

The Global Economy’s Impact on Canadian Agriculture – Glen Hodgson

glen hodgson

The continuing saga of the financial crisis in Europe and in particular Greece is leaving a lot of analysts on the edge of their seats. The latest development being the 170 billion dollar Greek bailout deal presented Tuesday. The failure of that deal could have far-reaching implications. But just how much could Europe’s problems spill [...]

Gary Pike is Uber Bullish on Ag Commodities

gary pike

The global economic instability of the last year has no doubt rattled investors and left them looking for any kind of a stable place to invest. One of those places has been agriculture. The growing population and the need to feed them has raised the value of the agricultural industry as a whole. The bottom [...]

Can the Canadian Beef Industry Remain Competitive? – J.P. Gervais, Farm Credit Canada

Rising feed prices, expensive oil and a high dollar have made it a difficult time to feed cattle. You can add to that the continued instability in financial markets around the world and it’s hard to imagine that our ability to compete hasn’t been heavily damaged. There is no doubt that the Canadian industry needs [...]

The Canadian Economic Outlook – Glen Hodgson, Conference Board of Canada

The road to economic recovery in Canada is delicate. Growth has been moderate at best, with events around the world adding to that fragility daily. European countries are dealing with high deficits and attempting to balance budgets under the pressure of a frustrated and angry population. In the U.S., the debt ceiling debate, the inability [...]

Canadian Farm Values Continue to Rise in FCC Study – J.P. Gervais – FCC

We have all heard the saying, “what goes up must come down,” but does that maybe not apply to land values? This week FCC released its newest version of the Farm Credit Canada Farmland Values Report and the results continue to verify the upward trend of land values.  It is becoming ever more difficult to [...]

Canadian Dollar and Economic Outlook With David Watt, RBC Capital Markets

The loonie has been on a real run lately, or the U.S. dollar has been in a real slump depending on how you look at it. While the rise of our dollar may have positive implications for Canadian consumers shopping in the U.S., the impact of a strong loonie on Canadian exporters is another story. [...]

Is the US Economy On it’s Way to Recovery? – Jim Budzynski

If you are interested in politics and economics like I am there is no more interesting fodder every night on the television than in the United States.  I love debates and conflict on topics and the US has no shortage of them right now.  Whether you are right, left or moderate you cannot deny the [...]

The Potential Impending Land Debt Debacle – Las Vegas and Farm Land Values

By Dick Haney At the risk of sounding like the Saturday Night Live character Debbie Downer, there is a potential evil that lurks among us; it is how we leverage equity in our operations to buy more agricultural farm land. I think it would be useful to examine the similarities between Las Vegas and financial [...]

Will the Canadian Dollar Hover at Par – Matthew Strauss, RBC Capital Markets

As an exporting nation, Canada has a history of relying on a low currency.  Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past four years, the Canadian dollar no longer enjoys this low value luxury.  Many producers who export are very concerned about the value of  the Canadian dollar and some of the [...]

Ag Business Is a Flurry With Mergers and Acquisitions – Tony Demarin, BCV Asset Management

There and many different reasons for a company to want to make the “big deal.” Some are looking for efficiency, some strive for an increase in scope, and others just see the value at certain levels. Lately the agri-business sector is under intense media coverage with the running and gunning in the marketplace by company’s [...]