Agriculture is an industry engrained across Canada and there are many similarities to the needs of Canadian farmers and farmers from other countries. Newly-acclaimed president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), Keith Currie, discusses what the CFA’s current priorities are and how international collaboration has influenced the work he is doing on behalf of… Read More
Category: Industry Issues
Doing right by the environment is a good thing, but what happens when environmental policy and trade start to mingle? There’s concern that when environmental issues are generalized and applied globally through trade agreements it creates larger problems by forcing producers to fit standards that do not necessarily apply to their region, possibly discounting conservation… Read More
The new president of Manitoba’s general farm organization says advocating for farmers when it comes to policies around sustainability and the environment is at the top of her to-do list as she steps into the role. Jill Verwey was elected president of Keystone Agricultural Producers at KAP’s annual general meeting last month. As she explains… Read More
The past three years have been a rollercoaster ride for the grocery retail business. Back in February 2020, grocery retail was searching for ways to delight consumers and compete with food service and restaurants that were gaining an increasing share of the food wallet. But then COVID-19 changed everything — suddenly grocers were asked to… Read More
The Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA) says it is gun-shy when it comes to placing their faith in the rail companies’ ability to meet the demand of grain shipments needed this fall and in to the busy winter shipping season. The WGEA handles approximately 90 per cent, or more, of western Canada’s bulk grain exports,… Read More
Humans are wired for connection, whether it’s in personal relationships with a spouse, children, friends and family, or through business (why do you think reps come out to your farm to see you in person?). Dr. Jody Carrington, psychologist, best-selling author, and public speaker, says meaningful face-t0-face interactions with loved ones is the key to… Read More
Statistics Canada is pivoting away from farmer-answered surveys and is utilizing various technologies to provide agriculture-related information about crops across Canada. The AgZero program uses alternative data sources including Earth observation data and satellite imagery to create reports regarding Canada’s agricultural production, reports that were usually compiled from data farmers provided. Omar Youssouf, unit head with… Read More
Ag machinery sales are showing a decline compared to last year, looking at the first seven months of 2022, however, this isn’t necessarily indicative of a bad year, says the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). The AEM flash report for the month of July shows a decrease of 7 per cent for tractor sales in Canada… Read More
Global need, market prices, and implications from the pandemic have all demonstrated the benefits of bolstering local agriculture infrastructure, something that Alberta NDP ag critic, Heather Sweet, says the province needs to play catch up on. When comparing the Prairie Provinces, Alberta is showing far less traction with breaking ground on new value-added processing than… Read More
With 2022 harvest knocking at the door, producers are starting to look ahead to the 2023 growing season, and it appears the Canadian government will continue to impose its 35 per cent sanctions on fertilizer from Russia and Belarus. Canada is the only country that has implemented and maintained sanctions against fertilizer from these countries,… Read More
With numerous global variables still affecting commodity market prices, putting on blinders and bringing the focus down to individual operations may be the wisest way to navigate the uncertainty. Grain markets are still under the influence of several major unknowns including the Russia-Ukraine war, how much grain China will actually export, and Taiwan strait tensions,… Read More
Root rot continues to be a concern for pulse growers and although work is being done on creating varieties that are more resistant to diseases such as aphanomyces, that reality is likely at least eight years away. In the interim, growers are encouraged to employ a comprehensive rotation schedule to best combat root rot in… Read More
Could volatile be the new normal when it comes to commodity markets? With volatility being the only constant over the past while, it is certainly something that farmers and marketers are getting used to as they continue to try and navigate their way through fluctuating prices and variables that seem to be ever increasing. With… Read More
Perhaps the only thing that made 2022 fertilizer prices palatable was the equally high commodity market prices. However, as farmers look ahead to the 2023 growing season, many are wondering if the high input prices are here to stay, even against declining commodity prices. Josh Linville is the fertilizer director with StoneX Financial, and says… Read More
Watching the commodity markets was exciting for many producers, until it wasn’t. The decline of prices that we’ve seen over the past week has been a blow to the optimism for this year’s crop; however, it may be more palatable if there was some overarching reason as to why the sell-off. But any clear reason… Read More