Consolidation is a fact of life in the agricultural industry, and there have been waves of it over time. In 2023, one of the biggest potential mergers has been the combination of Bunge and Viterra, which will have impacts on the grain procurement, handling, and processing sectors. Of course, another major stakeholder potentially impacted are… Read More
Category: RealAgristudies
Year-over-year, farmers aren’t necessarily more concerned about inflation; however, a large majority of those who answered the latest RealAgristudies survey on the topic feel strongly that government policy has contributed to inflation. The survey, which wrapped September 8, 2023, of over 500 farmers from across Canada, took the pulse not only on how farmers feel… Read More
Farmers haven’t significantly changed loan makeup on farms, and are sticking with variable rate loans this year compared to sixteen months ago. The number of farmers with all fixed-rate loans has held steady in the same time frame. That’s according to the latest survey from the RealAgristudies Insights Panel, which ran late last month with… Read More
Nearly 600 farmers weighed in on the Canadian Farmer Sentiment Index in July, marking the sixth time farmers from the Insights Panel have answered questions on the financial health of the farm, confidence in marketing, whether it’s a good time to invest in the farm, and farmers’ mental health. Modelled after the Purdue Ag Economy… Read More
In July 2023, RealAgristudies looked at farmers’ opinion on consolidation and how it is impacting their farm businesses. While 90 per cent of farmers say that they are concerned about consolidation in the agriculture industry, not all industry verticals are viewed the same. Canadian farmers have the greatest concern about consolidation of equipment dealers, with… Read More
Pessimism abounds in the Canadian farm industry, according to the May results of the Canadian Farmer Sentiment Index. Over 400 farmers weighed in on the RealAgristudies survey, which asked for opinions on a range of issues including confidence in grain marketing, the direction of the industry as a whole, and an assessment of governments’ handling… Read More
The agriculture industry is fully aware that successful farm transition is not easy and comes with many potential barriers. Every family farm business is unique, but based on a new RealAgristudies study looking at farm transition, there are some common challenges to work through. 588 farmers across Canada responded to questions about farm transition as… Read More
Farm business transition is not a new challenge or opportunity for the agriculture industry, but there’s been an increased level of coverage and discussion about it in mainstream media following a well-publicized report by RBC highlighting the challenges earlier this spring. At RealAgriculture and RealAgristudies, we are very interested in this topic and how it impacts… Read More
For any farmer, focusing on learning and development allows them to continuously improve in a vast amount of areas. As agriculture evolves, so do agronomic practices, risk management tools, and technological advancements. By constantly learning and expanding their skillset, farmers can identify new opportunities, increase profitability, and productivity. Developing new skills can also improve problem-solving… Read More
Canadian farmers feel relatively stable and positive about their farms’ current financial outlook, even in the face of declining commodity markets, according to the March Canadian Farmer Sentiment Index. Last month, the RealAgristudies Insights Panel was surveyed a fourth time since September 2022 on their opinions and overall sentiment on a number of critical agricultural… Read More
It’s easy to assume that today’s farmer is bombarded with salespeople trying to get them to buy products for the farm. After all, buying farm products, inputs in particular, is very predictable. In the fall farmers will begin purchasing seed for next year, then book fertilizer, and chemical, etc. This differs from livestock farmers that… Read More
It was Albert Einstein that said, “When you stop learning, you start dying” In today’s world of fast-paced change and competitiveness, farmers and ranchers face immense challenges on a daily basis. All entrepreneurs face the stiff challenge of staying current, but not everyone views or tackles the skills gap the same. In February, RealAgristudies dove… Read More
Regardless of the topic — from marketing and production, to human resource management and goal setting — if farmers set out to learn about something, it made them hungry to learn even more. That’s according to the Farmer skill development survey, that ran in late February to early March, 2023 run by RealAgristudies. Over 75o participants… Read More
RealAgristudies has been tracking farmer sentiment on key issues since the launch of the Canadian Farmer Sentiment Index in September, 2022. Every two months, the sentiment survey is sent out to the RealAgristudies Insights panel members to gauge their feeling on several different aspects of their farm’s outlook, their outlook for the industry as a… Read More
According to the January 2023 Canadian Farmers Sentiment Index farmers are becoming more optimistic about their current and future financial performance relative to past months. While the current financial performance is above the neutral position at 119, the future financial performance score of 85 remains in negative territory. In isolation this is a positive trend… Read More