Lagging productivity, the diving Canadian dollar, precarious U.S. trade, and volatile global news all make the list of the top nine trends impacting agriculture in 2025. Also on the list, says Aaron Goertzen, senior economist with BMO, are increased input costs, high crop carryover, lower interest rates, and a more loose labour market. Each of these… Read More
Category: Economy Financial Markets
Initial market reaction to an incoming Donald Trump presidency has been positive for most financial markets, however commodity market moves haven’t been as decisively upward as the market digests several unanswered questions. Neil Townsend, market analyst with Grainfox, says the very early reaction on Wednesday trended a little negative, even, and that’s not likely a… Read More
The USDA will roll out its latest production report this coming Monday, and farmers and analysts alike are hoping it provokes some market action to the upside. Scott Shelladay, host of The Cow Guy on RFD-TV, says that next week’s report will be crucial to grain market moves, markets that have been weathering news of… Read More
A report by Capstone Partners outlines what it will take for widespread farm profitability to return to North American agriculture and how long it may take. Those hoping for a quick reversal of the downward market and profitability trend are likely to be disappointed, as some estimates puts a return to much better financial times… Read More
As expected by a majority of analysts, the Bank of Canada lowered the overnight rate by twenty-five basis points. It’s the first rate cut in four years. For farmers with floating or variable rate loans, this will be welcome news. “With further and more sustained evidence underlying inflation is easing, monetary policy no longer needs… Read More
Geopolitics, interest rates, currency fluctuations, market demand and the weather — there’s much for farmers to consider when making business decisions in a volatile market. Meteorologist and market analyst Shawn Hackett says it’s important for farmers to have a good understanding of all the factors that can impact prices to build effective marketing strategy. At… Read More
It’s time for the Frontlines podcast! Shaun Haney is joined by Jacob Shapiro of Cognitive Investments, to tackle the top geopolitical issues impacting agriculture. Up for discussion in this episode: Skirmish in the Red Sea — the U.S. is working to stop Iran-backed Houthi attacks in the shipping lane Logistics are definitely impacted, but is… Read More
The Bank of Canada considers several economic factors each month as it decides on what to do with the overnight rate. The overnight rate has risen from 0.5% in March of 2022 to 5% by mid-2023, however the BoC has held firm on the rate for a few months now. Expectations are for a decrease… Read More
Welcome to the latest edition of our new (how long can we call it that?) monthly podcast: “Frontlines — Geopolitics affecting agriculture,” with Shaun Haney of RealAgriculture and Jacob Shapiro, geopolitical analyst with Cognitive Investments and Perch Perspectives. As you would expect, this episode features a discussion on the Israel-Palestine conflict as it continues to… Read More
Big things happen in a big world and yet somehow the grain markets are still transfixed by what number the ProFarmer Tour is likely to come out with on Friday regarding corn production estimates for the U.S. Neil Townsend, Grainfox market analyst, says it’s a bit strange to think that Russia can literally bomb infrastructure… Read More