We have no shortage of farmer led groups in Canada. Almost every crop has a growers association that represents their interests in Ottawa, tries to create demand for the commodity with end users and consumers, supports the agronomics of the crop and provides services to the members. Many times this can feel disjointed and does… Read More

The federal government is proposing to change who is eligible to vote in the upcoming Canadian Wheat Board Election.  My understanding is currently that if you have or had a permit book you could vote.  The proposed change would require a farmer to at least deliver 40MT of production from one of the seven major… Read More

Have you heard of CIGI? Do you know what CIGI does?  Does the Canadian International Grain Institute make a difference for Canadian farmers and industry?  You bet!!! I recently stopped at CIGI’s office in Winnipeg and had a great time learning about what CIGI is and what they do.  I had what I thought was… Read More

This week I attended the Canada Grains Council Meeting and listened to a very interesting day of reports on the market access issues that Canada is facing.  Unless you have been in Phoenix all winter I am sure that you have not missed the whole Triffid flax issue that has thrown a real wrench in… Read More

At the recent Canada Grains council meeting a listened to a full day of discussions around Canada’s market access issues  across all the main crop types.  The recent market access issues with canola are well documented and continue to challenge the countries trade attempts. With 85-95% of Canada’s canola crop getting exported, trade is very… Read More

What does it mean to farm? Why do it? For many, it is a question of passion. Passion for the lifestyle €“ the satisfaction of working the land; the freedom to be your own boss in a world that€™s not constricted by office walls and collared shirts; the day-to-day enjoyment of hard work and fresh… Read More

While in London Ontario for the Innovative Farmers of Ontario meeting I listened to a keynote speech given by Dennis DesRosiers.  Dennis is a highly respected automobile industry analyst and he gave a breakdown of what has put the auto sector behind the financial eight ball.  The purpose was for farmers in attendance to draw… Read More

In early January, I was fortunate to be invited to be involved in a panel discussion on AgVisonTV hosted by Kevin Stewart.  The topic was farm debt and was it was a great experience.  I was joined on the panel by Dr. George Brinkman, a retired agricultural economist at Guelph University and Dina Cover, an Economist at… Read More

Canada and Mexico have taken the issue of country of origin labelling (COOL) to the World Trade Organization (WTO).  We are basically one year into the implementation of COOL and the financial impact is severe.  The impact on the Canada and Mexico livestock markets has been very hurtful. The interesting thing that I found at… Read More

 

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