Ever since the great recession of 2008, interest rates have been ‘abnormally’ low. Although there has been noise about rising interest rates, the economic argument has been weak. But the economy is getting stronger, and along with that the argument to raise interest rates is also getting stronger. In this interview RealAg Radio host Shaun… Read More

There are many who likely bristle at the thought of a foreign country investing in Canada, perhaps because most equate “investment” with “land buying.” But when we’re talking foreign direct investment, in this case, we’re talking about companies investing in Canadian businesses, and vice versa. And, as J.P. Gervais, chief agricultural economist with Farm Credit… Read More

Wednesday was a big day for economic news in both Canada and also for our friends south of the border, in the United States. Here at home, the market is digesting the most recent GDP data for November, while the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee made the decision to hold interest rates in the country…. Read More

On Friday, Statistics Canada released its third-quarter economic report, which included an update on gross domestic product and job growth. With the Canadian government boasting a strong economy and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations in an arguably precarious situation, many experts are watching the domestic economic climate very closely. Some of the highlights… Read More

Every week, there are mountains of global economic data to shuffle through. The past week’s info has Farm Credit Canada’s vice president and chief agricultural economist, JP Gervais, thinking about the direction of China’s economy. “If we just focus on China, economic growth of 6.7 percent — that’s actually pretty strong,” says Gervais, referring to… Read More

Farmland values across Canada continue to climb. Some very early seeding is beginning in the West, although there are concerns about dryness. Canada and the EU continue to work on their trade deal, and a popular reality TV veterinarian is showing how farmers care for their animals. We hear from FCC economist JP Gervais, trade minister… Read More

The average value of farmland in Canada continued to rise at a double-digit rate in 2015, according to Farm Credit Canada’s annual farmland values report published on Monday. FCC says “this year in particular, the differences between regions within each province varied a lot,” but the average value of farmland across the country rose by… Read More