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
Category: Industry Issues
As the large pricing gap continues between cattle producers, feeders, packers and retailers, the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA) is now looking for answers from the Canadian federal government as to why and what can be done about it. Although the price gap concerns have been looming for quite awhile, it has widened since the… Read More
The recent collaboration between organizations, producers, and consumers to stop the intended front of package (FOP) labelling of ground meat proved just how effective organized lobbying can be. Reg Schellenberg, president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), says it has been smiles across the board after the federal government announced that ground meat, including beef,… Read More
Details on Health Canada’s new front of package (FOP) labelling have been released, and the regulations include some welcome news for livestock producers. Under the original proposal, ground beef and pork would have been labelled as “high in saturated fat,” prompting producers and industry organizations to lobby against the inclusion. The beef and pork sectors said… Read More
Through the pandemic numerous food perspectives were subject to a shift, with more people cooking at home and grocery scarcity showing up for the first time for many. Just ahead of the pandemic, Beyond Meat, a plant-based protein company, went public to much fanfare. The Canadian Meat Council has, of course, been watching the plant-based… Read More
From drought conditions, poor market prices, high input costs, and on-going costs for health maintenance, many western Canadian cattle producers are starting to question how much longer they can stay afloat. Some producers who are in drought-ridden areas are looking at selling off a portion of their herd out of necessity as their pastureland can no… Read More
Many cattle producers in west central and southwest Saskatchewan are once again facing extreme drought conditions, and the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) is calling on the federal government to introduce a tax-deferral option for those producers who have no choice but to liquidate a portion of their herd. Scott Owens, vice president of APAS,… Read More
It isn’t uncommon to read about issues happening around the world that create hardship for some but leaving others unaffected, however; food inflation is not one of them. The rising cost of food is an issue being felt throughout North America and across the globe. Although it can be easy to focus on rising total… Read More
It’s a global game of chess and it’s Russia’s move. With ongoing talks of Russia allowing wheat exports to come out of Ukraine, which could mean 50 to 60 million metric tonnes of wheat, those market values have experienced a slight decline over the recent past; however some experts are saying it’s not likely long-lived… Read More
Although we’ve experienced dips in market pricing, there are good reasons to be cautiously optimistic about where commodity prices are for now, unless we see some significant changes in the local and global landscape. There are many factors that are currently affecting commodity markets. First and foremost is the ever-unfolding situation between Russia and Ukraine…. Read More
A new white paper document released by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), outlines 13 trends that they say requires the attention of the industry, if we are to keep up with a growing global population and environmental requirements. Megan Tanel, president of AEM, says over the years farmers have been expected to produce more… Read More
Canada is standing by its proposed solution regarding dairy tariff-rate quotas under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), as U.S. dairy groups continue to pressure the White House to escalate the matter. Earlier this week, U.S. trade representative Katherine Tai said Canada’s changes didn’t go far enough, and the proposed solution was a disappointment. Jim Wiesemeyer with Pro… Read More
After Canada defended its standpoint on dairy tariff-rate quotas (TRQs), the U.S. trade representative, Katherine Tai, has released a statement further articulating the country’s “disappointment” with Canada’s unwillingness to make further changes to the TRQs. “The United States is deeply disappointed by Canada’s announcement today regarding its dairy tariff-rate quotas,” says Tai. “Our top priority remains… Read More
Trade tensions are on the rise as some groups are calling on the U.S. government to impose retaliatory tariffs in response to Canada’s handling of dairy tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) under the United-States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA/CUSMA). The call on the U.S. government comes from the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF)… Read More
Looking back to last fall after fertilizer inventories were wiped out, there was cause for concern on what shortage issues we may face come spring, but the markets are proving the opposite to be true. Josh Linville, fertilizer director for StoneX, says one uncertainty is sometimes the only certainty when it comes to the volatility… Read More