This week the USDA report really smacked the commodity market into a downward spiral on Wednesday. Most people said that the negative reaction was an over reaction but still it does wake some farmers up to the potential downward snap that this market can take. As Jon Driedger, FarmLiunk Marketing discusses below, this is great… Read More
We have all heard the saying, “what goes up must come down,” but does that maybe not apply to land values? This week FCC released its newest version of the Farm Credit Canada Farmland Values Report and the results continue to verify the upward trend of land values. It is becoming ever more difficult to… Read More
An important part of profitable farming is controlling input costs. A big part of controlling those costs involves figuring out when to buy. In most cases and if storage is available, pre-buying can be a very effective way to manage your input costs. Fertilizer is one of those inputs that can be pre-bought to great… Read More
Is it just me or does it seem like if some guy tips over a gerry can, the price of fuel goes up? Don’t get me wrong, the situation in the Middle East is serious stuff and should concern us, but on a different level. Will it warrant a two dollar a litre price? Granted,… Read More
Over the past few years U.S. DDGs have worked their way more and more into Western Canadian livestock rations. The energy value is good, the starch content is less, helps to prevent acidosis in cattle, improved feed conversions and the quality and yield grades of carcasses remain unaffected when switching from traditional rations. Another big… Read More
For a lot of farmers marketing wheat can be a lot like playing “Let’s Make a Deal”. You pick what’s behind door number one and hope it’s better than what’s behind doors two and three. It’s guesswork and a lot of luck. For other farmers, it feels like you’re preparing to write a thesis, with… Read More
The loonie has been on a real run lately, or the U.S. dollar has been in a real slump depending on how you look at it. While the rise of our dollar may have positive implications for Canadian consumers shopping in the U.S., the impact of a strong loonie on Canadian exporters is another story…. Read More
In the last few years, lentil acres in Canada were on the rise. Farmers across the country planted just over 2.5 million acres of the crop last year. That being said, the expectation this year is that lentil acres will be down about 25% according to some analysts. Apparently, as good as the price for… Read More
Marketing your crop through the cash market is not the only tool for farmers to use. A growing group of farmers are using the derivative market with futures and options to manage the volatile risk of commodities. With the increase in price volatility producers have to reach out to use as much of the toolbox… Read More
Markets go up and markets go down. In the last thirty days canola has taken quite a run in multiple directions. Is it overbought, oversold or just right. Ask all of us in November. The trading range of $500 – $600 per tonne seems to be a real opportunity to trade the range but for… Read More
The new crop PRO’s were released at GrainWorld and the trend still seems to be strong for wheat. In Western Canada wheat acres will be up with the strong competitive prices that are being offered. Wheat is a good cropping option this year which is one of the reason many analysts are expecting pulse acres… Read More
There has been quite a bit of commentary in the media recently from certain farm groups like the NFU and R-Calf regarding the need to eliminate or more strictly regulate speculators in the market. Interest in commodities has greatly increased in recent years which has increased the volume of speculators trading in corn, beef and… Read More
With rising commodity prices TV networks like CNBC are very interested in the financial investment plays in agriculture. Whether that is agricultural based stocks or investments in commodity ETF’s Wall Street is very interested in what farmers are doing. Mike Haley is a farmer in Ohio involved in livestock and crop production. Mike recently appeared… Read More
With the volatility in the marketplace, producers need to be actively involved in managing risk. There is a multitude of tools available to producers. Some are simple and some are more complex. One of the more useful tools that is maybe a little more challenging for producers to wrap their heads around is options. Using… Read More
Much of the attention is being paid to corn, soybean and lentil pricing this winter. The forgotten sister has been wheat. In many cases wheat is not as sexy or doesn’t get people as crazy with market anticipation. The fact is that wheat is still an incredibly important component of Western Canadian rotations. Not just… Read More
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