Manitoba’s modest four per cent increase in farmland values in 2019 coincided with a mixed year for farmers. Cereal and canola yields were generally average, with lower yields for soybeans, corn and sunflowers, the Farm Credit Canada (FCC) report says. A lot of potatoes didn’t get harvested due to wet weather, some crops went unharvested, while hay, pasture and feed corn were hurt during
A closer look at Manitoba farmland values
Eastman region saw the highest percentage increase at 8.2 per cent
CN ships record grain volume in March
The rail backlog from landslides, strike and blockades has been made up despite all odds
CN Rail is on a roll. The company shipped a record 2.65 million tonnes of grain in March, surpassing the previous 2017 record of 2.47 million tonnes by seven per cent. It’s due to a combination of increased capacity through capital investments, good weather and reduced oil and potash traffic, although lumber and container traffic
COVID-19 prunes garden centre operations
For now Manitoba’s garden centres are closed to the public when normally their business would be ramping up
Manitoba’s nearly 100 garden centres are closed to the public to slow the spread of COVID-19, leaving people wondering how they’re going to get tomatoes and other transplantable vegetables, flowers, trees and shrubs this spring. There likely will be ways, but as of press time, garden centres weren’t an option unless customers ordered online or
Farm auctions OK in social distance era
COVID-19: But the Manitoba Auctioneers Association recommends members opt for online and telephone bidding instead
How will one of the most traditional and social of rural events — farm auction sales — work during the COVID-19 pandemic? Online and over the telephone is the recommendation from the Manitoba Auctioneers Association (MAA), that is bracing for the start of the sale season. “We can’t tell anyone in the association what they
China decrees dockage reduction
The country has also indicated it will continue its lacklustre buying of canola
For a few hours last week Canadian farmers thought they were getting back China. In a world grappling with a global pandemic, the return of their biggest canola seed customer was a shot of good news. But the news report saying that was wrong, dashed their hopes. Instead what they got was another turn of
The Chinese/canola puzzle
What’s really behind the canola ban?
Huawei, dockage or both? When it comes to China’s strategy on Canadian canola seed it’s anyone’s guess to which takes precedence. “Who knows how much weight is given to the dockage issue,” Canadian Canola Growers Association president and CEO Rick White said in an interview March 31. “I think they just want to control it.
Agriculture sector welcomes recent “essential” designation
COVID-19: Companies say the announcement gives them clarity in their operations
Obviously agriculture is essential, but the federal government “deemed” it so April 2 as the country battles to slow the spread of COVID-19. The move was welcomed by the Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA), which represents Canada’s biggest grain companies. “For our sector we feel there’s enough clarity that we are to keep operating as
Grading grain compromise in wake of COVID—19
Rights clash with reality of grain grading in the age of social distancing
Physical distancing may prevent farmers from watching their grain being graded at the elevator. But they can still ask the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) to determine the grade if they dispute the buyer’s grade, says CGC spokesman Remi Gosselin. Under the Canada Grain Act, which the CGC enforces, farmers have a right to see their
Bibeau defends COVID-19 response for agriculture
Canada’s agriculture and agri-food minister says FCC boost and advance repayment deferrals will help with cash flow for farmers
The government’s boost to Farm Credit Canada’s lending capacity and delaying repayment of cash advances is aimed at addressing immediate agriculture sector cash flow concerns — but there’s more to come. That was the word this week from federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau. FCC is getting a $5-billion boost to its lending
Cash advance interest rates expected to go lower yet
Cash advance interest rates could soon fall again. March 27 the Bank of Canada cut its lending rate, which affects what commercial lenders charge, by 0.05 per cent to 0.25. At press time lenders had not lowered their rates, but were expected to. If CIBC cuts its prime rate to 2.45 per cent from the
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
