The USDA showed no fear in taking a stand on the projected corn yield in today’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE). Whether due to the late planting dates, unfit soil or pollination timing, the USDA adjusted corn yield dramatically to the downside, while leaving soybeans untouched. The USDA dropped the projected corn yield… Read More
Another weekend of rain in most of Ontario has left Ontario growers wondering what is the best strategy in the most challenging spring in recent memory. There were some areas that were able to get some planting done, but time is really of the essence. Some dust did fly, but on the eastern side of… Read More
With historically slow corn planting in the U.S. and Ontario due to adverse wet weather conditions, the consequences are building. As the doubts on how much of the desired corn will get planted, feedyards are having staring higher feed costs in the eye. The latest USDA planting progress report will come out today (Monday), but… Read More
There was a time when the USMCA negotiation dominated agricultural trade headlines. But that was before the U.S./China trade war standoff. Still, the importance and momentum on ratifying the “new NAFTA” needs to continue. For Canadian agricultural exporters, NAFTA was deemed a success during its tenure, and the USMCA holds the majority of that export-dependent… Read More
Farmers and ranchers across North America have lobbied hard for the continuation of NAFTA and now the ratification of the USMCA. Ratification, however, seems elusive and is stalled for different reasons in all three signatory countries. One of the major obstructions is the section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs still in place. Canada has temporarily… Read More
Perhaps lost in the hustle and bustle of the USMCA trade dealings is the fact that Canada did retaliate against the U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs with tariffs of our own on over 40 grocery and food related items. The full brunt of those tariffs is likely just beginning to be felt at the consumer… Read More
In March, Richardson International and Viterra’s export permits for China were pulled due to claims of hazardous pests in the samples. In my opinion, it appears that this is a clear shot across the bow for the Canadian government to rectify the Huawei extradition situation or face more trade consequences. The Canola Council of Canada’s… Read More
In presentations I frequently open up my talks discussing the agriculture challenges in Canada and the United States and then finish the opening by saying, “it could be worse, we could be in the UK.” It always gets a laugh, but for farmers in the UK, a possible crash exit from the EU is no… Read More
In terms of export markets, China has been the holy grail for agricultural commodity producers. Whether it’s pork, beef, canola or wheat, the demand that China’s growing middle class offers presents massive opportunities for Canadian farmers. Likewise in the U.S., farmers south of the border have relied heavily on export growth into China as domestic… Read More
On Tuesday morning while in Winnipeg, Prime Minister Trudeau stated that “we are looking at the possibility of sending a high level delegation to China.” The Prime Minister is facing stiff criticism from western Canadian farmers for the lack of apparent action and response on the canola matter. This critique will only heighten with the… Read More
The Canadian government needs to start being honest with itself and farmers. Talking a tougher game would be a great start. China has hijacked the Canadian canola industry. Until someone proves to me otherwise I will continue to say that China’s cancellation of a major grain company’s export license is political. Pretending that this is… Read More
Some risks are out of our control, and as we know all too well, weather is a big one in the agricultural industry. However, there are some risks that are actually in our control. Consider the risks that Boeing has dealt with this week. With the crash of the Boeing 737 Max in Ethiopia, Boeing… Read More
Remember when Goose dies in Top Gun? Of course you do. Maverick and Goose were following Iceman as his wingman and got caught in the jet wash, ultimately spinning out to sea and then ejecting from the aircraft but meeting an untimely end. To bring the analogy home, Canada is closely following the U.S., in… Read More
Richardson International announced in 2018 it had made the decision to withdraw its funding and membership from the Canola Council of Canada. At the time, the withdrawal was not without controversy, and ultimately played a major role in the Canola Council of Canada making some structural changes in late 2018. With this week’s decision by… Read More
Canadians are very much wrapped up in the testimony of Jody Wilson-Raybould and Gerald Butts on the SNC-Lavalin scandal. When your house is amid chaos and controversy it can be very difficult for a government to get their work done. For farmers and ranchers in Canada there is a very important piece of business to… Read More