Canada, the true north, strong and free. More and more, it seems U.S. President Trump truly believes that annexing Canada is a smart move for both countries. I cannot believe that I typed that previous sentence. What the hell is going on in 2025? Before we get too far I have a confession I need… Read More
Category: United States
Kody Blois is less than a week into his role as Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Rural Economic Development, but already he’s firing off missives and steering policy direction. There’s a reason for the quick pace — an election call could come at any moment, or the government could fall on Monday, March 24,… Read More
Canada is being squeezed between two superpowers — China and the U.S. — who don’t get along. The worst part is, Canada is a major exporter to both, and any semblance of positive diplomatic relationships with these countries has all but evaporated in the last few months. Where do we go from here? Carlo Dade,… Read More
There are a lot of challenges facing agricultural producers in North America at this time in history, and while a lot of the ones commonly discussed are those that face farmers on the ground, the ones that crossover into government and policy can be just as challenging. As the farming population shrinks, Sean McCarty, government… Read More
Low commodity prices, a struggling ag economy, the future of ethanol markets, and trade tariff turbulence make up a cluster of storm clouds that’s dampening farmer demand for new farm machinery. Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) senior vice president Curt Blades says the biggest thing that will change the direction of farm equipment sales is… Read More
The threatened tariffs on “day one” of U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term are now in effect, as of March 4, 2025. The 25 per cent tax on all imports (10 per cent on energy) into the U.S. took effect at 12:01 am. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement ahead of the midnight deadline, outlining… Read More
The good news is there are deals to be had on both new and used farm equipment out there, says Matt Clark, senior rural economic analyst with Terrain. The bad news is why there may be deals to be found. (Hello, tough times!) There are, however, ratios between gross margin, costs per acre, and more,… Read More
A new administration in the White House brings many questions about the future. Recently sworn-in U.S. secretary of agriculture Brooke Rollins joined Kansas senator Roger Marshall for a fireside chat at the Top Producer Summit last week in Kansas City, Missouri, to discuss Rollins’ vision for the future of agriculture in the country. Between 2017… Read More
The fertilizer market doesn’t move in lock-step with the grain markets — both the peak demand and trends work on their own timelines. Which is too bad, of course, when commodity prices drop but fertilizer prices don’t follow suit. Both the fertilizer and commodity markets are, however, working through uncertainty and trade disruption created by… Read More
Nothing ventured, nothing gained, but how do you manage to tip the chance of gain in your favour? In agriculture there are many variables that are well out of our control — whether it be ranching, farming or anywhere in between, producers deal with volatile input prices, commodity price fluctuations, and, of course, the weather…. Read More