Agriculture has been on a roll for the last few years. Commodity and land values are up and interest rates are down — these are good times for farmers. How do you make the most of it? According to Dr. Danny Klinefelter, professor and extension economist with Texas A&M University, the time to prepare for a… Read More
Category: Markets
The Wealthy Barber author and Dragon’s Den star, David Chilton, spoke at this year’s Farm Forum Event at Saskatoon, Sask., in late November. Produced by RealAgriculture.com Rob Saik, president of the Agri-Trend Group of Companies, caught up with David after his presentation to get his thoughts on not just identifying opportunities in agriculture, but also… Read More
Todd Hirsch, ATB financial senior economist, spoke at the Canfax Cattle Market Forum. The outlook he provided was one of cautious optimism mixed with a little bit of wait and see. The cautious optimism stems from the overall stability of the Canadian economy and the growth in provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan. The wait… Read More
Wheat acres and frankly wheat’s reputation have taken a hit in recent years, overshadowed by canola’s promise of big yields and big profits. Then 2012 came along and the crop totally redeemed itself. Even in the face of extreme weather and drought, this year’s wheat yields and quality have put a smile on many farmers’… Read More
Hot on the heels of announcing a brand new school, RealAgriculture.com is pleased to announce a new feature of the site — Ask FarmLink. The Ask FarmLink series will connect grain producers with the market analyst team of FarmLink Marketing Solutions, encouraging farmers to send in their toughest grain marketing questions. Whether it’s a question… Read More
The world is a much smaller place than it ever was. When it comes to areas like feed grains, what was once a very localized trade is now increasingly international. That requires a new level of international awareness for producers, especially in times marked by historic highs and increasingly tight supplies. So what should we… Read More
The optimism cattle producers started off 2012 with has become a little less broad and a little more cautious as 2012 starts to wind down. High commodity prices, a brutal US drought and high replacement costs among other factors have really dampened the high enthusiasm seen at the beginning of the year. It was February… Read More
Last week’s USDA report managed to bring one notable surprise to light. Soybean yields were actually much higher than anticipated. While that may have been a welcome surprise to farmers and is overall a good news story, there will be a bit of an adjustment period while a market, that doesn’t really like surprises, adjusts… Read More
13.4 million tonnes of canola is, historically, a big canola crop. For 2012, however, it’s a total tonnage figure that disappointed many Western Canadian farmers. As we reported earlier this year, the swaths looked like a 35 bushel crop but yielded closer to 20. Many were shocked by the significantly lower Statistics Canada production number… Read More
Earlier this year the CWB (as it was still named) rolled out handling agreement announcements at Canada’s Farm Progress Show at Regina, Sask. During and after the press conference, more than a few weighed in on what percentage of the grain handle the monopoly-less board could possibly attract. Some estimated as much as 30% to… Read More
According to Dow Jones Newswires, CME Group has agreed to buy the Kansas City Board of Trade for US$126 million. CME already owns the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). By purchasing Kansas City, CME would then offer wheat contracts for both soft and hard wheats, along with several other agriculture commodity contracts. While it’s not… Read More
The 2012 fall feeder run seems to be moving at a very slow pace. Last weeks Canfax Cattle on Feed report would definitely confirm that. All things considered, the slow feeder run may be a blessing in disguise as many of the cattle liners are busy shipping cattle south due to the XL Foods closure… Read More
With less cattle slaughter capacity in Canada, many ranchers and feedyards are concerned about the possibility for the feeder cattle and live basis to significantly widen. A basis that gets too wide makes the current Canadian model unworkable. Currently the live cattle basis sites at 16-18 which is the same as last year at this… Read More
It’s no surprise that the fertilizer markets have cooled off this fall, but those farmers shopping for a deal may not want to wait too long to pre-buy. Record prices for corn and soy will definitely pressure prices in to the new growing season, and international buyers are out shopping. Remi Schmaltz, general manager of… Read More
Did your wheat crop make you smile this year? Good yields and high protein in the face of strong commodity prices is the coveted winning trifecta of the wheat world. Unfortunately, Canadian wheat growers are not the only ones with bins full of high protein, quality wheat. The traditional high protein spreads only happen when… Read More