The tree is took down and the sugar-free shortbread’s all eaten.
That means that it’s time for the next New Year’s greetin’,
And in doggerel (bad verses) to take a moment’s reflection,
Plus make fearless predictions of farming’s future direction.
Now given their druthers, farmers have usually thunk,
That the ideal would be land in one contiguous chunk.
But last year the merits of diversification,
Included having fields spread over several locations.
For many, their yields were hung on their odds,
Of having the favour of the thunderstorm gods.
But despite more than usual of the variation seasonable,
Manitoba’s average crop yields turned out pretty reasonable.
I’m told that, in total, the same goes for forage,
But some might be buying from those with extra in storage.
Though I hear that instead of buying feed to put down,
Some producers may decide to just ship cattle to town.
At this point in their career, they don’t want the tension,
Of facing a new cattle cycle with heifer retention.
Speaking of cycles, we’re now seeing more signs,
Of a low point in the one for livestock porcine.
With packing plants shutting down and export markets quite fickle,
Pork producers are finding themselves in a bit of a pickle.
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So while there are some good buys on pork shoulders and loinage,
For other items in the supermarket, you need extra coinage.
From front page to back cover, over most of the nation,
News stories have been full of food-price inflation.
The Bank of Canada, under governor Macklem,
Kept raising interest rates in an effort to tackle ‘em.
While that might have had success on food like salad greenery,
It hasn’t done much for the price of farm inputs or machinery.
From MB Ag’s survey of the price for iron, it appears,
That they’re mostly up around 30 per cent in two years.
About some pricey precision features, I wonder if the fact is,
That they cost a lot extra, but don’t get much use in practice.
It used to be if your tractor or combine went haywire,
You could fix it yourself with a few wrenches and pliers.
You’d think if you own it, you’d have the right to repair it,
But some companies have the program, and don’t want to share it.
Having all farm groups and government agree is a rare occasion,
But they’re all on the same page on right-to-repair legislation.
You’ll recall that last year, I said it was hard,
To keep track of whether it was MAF, MAFRD, MAFRI or MARD.
Now it’s just “Manitoba Agriculture,” so I got what I was wishin’,
So did some Crown land leaseholders under new (old) minister Kostyshyn.
The last government’s policy on rental rates caused quite a ruction,
He and new Premier Kinew announced a continued reduction.
Plans to cut N emissions (not use), got some in a panic,
And making claims that were somewhat bull fertilizer organic.
But many fertility experts say there’s no need for a furor,
And that both farmers and climate can benefit from 4R.
The research that’s been done has shown empirically,
That it keeps N in the ground instead of off-gassing atmospherically.
G3, which picked up the dregs of the old wheat board Canadian,
Is controlled by Bunge, backed with money Saudi Arabian.
Now it wants to buy Viterra, so what in effect it will have done,
Is merge Bunge, CWB, the old Pools and UGG into one.
If that prospect worries you, then I think you had better,
Send the Competition Bureau an email, or maybe a letter.
I admit it: this year, the future of grain prices I have trouble to see,
So, I turned to artificial intelligence and asked ChatGPT.
But all that it gave me was another grain market analysis typical,
And said it depends on weather, and events geopolitical.
So, then I asked it whether it sees,
Whether, this year, a farmer should plant wheat or try peas.
After listing pros and cons of rotation etc., it ended with a mention,
That they should consult with someone in local agricultural extension.
My advice? If you want to be a good farm operator,
Forget artificial intelligence: just keep reading the Co-operator.
As for weather, my forecast is that there must be no doubt,
That we’ll soon see an end to this Prairie-wide drought.
From my Christmas turkey innards, the signs that I’m reading,
Are for rains to return, just after spring seeding.
An inch or two a week from then on, the gizzard is saying,
Except for a break to finish up haying.
That’s it for now, so from all of us here,
We wish you good crops and good prices, and a Happy New Year!
