farmers talking in a field

Income decline makes farm management skills key

But farm balance sheets are generally strong, the president of FCC says

The analogy may be outdated, but the old advice to farmers to sharpen their pencils applies to the financial conditions they will likely face during the next few years, says Mike Hoffort, president of Farm Credit Canada. “We’ve gone through a rising cycle of farm incomes and now we’re entering a period when good management

Adjusting production to lower prices is a slow process in crop agriculture

Adjusting production to lower prices is a slow process in crop agriculture

Aggregate crop production tends to remain steady in the face of lower prices, 
essentially locking in low prices for long periods of time

There are several reasons why farmers do not respond in textbook fashion to a reduction in prices by making a proportional reduction in production. Farmers must begin planning for a given crop at least two years before the marketing year for that crop comes to a close. Most of these decisions have to be made


Dead sunflowers stand in a field in Dickinson, North Dakota January 21, 2016. The collapse of U.S. oil and gas investment could have further to fall and Americans are showing signs they spend less of their windfall from lower gasoline prices than in the past, darkening the outlook for the U.S. economy.

The nature of agricultural supply

Farmers don’t respond to supply-and-demand signals in the same way as other business operators

As we lay out the social and economic model that provides the foundation for our analysis of agricultural policy in its myriad forms, we begin by looking at the economic characteristics of agriculture, particularly the areas where agriculture does not operate in the same ways as other businesses and industries with which most people are

Editorial: Hope is not a strategy

Purdue University’s Michael D. Boehlje offered Manitoba farmers a stern reality check last week about the tightening financial situation in farming. You might even say he was a bit grumpy about it. After all, he’s seen it all before. The 73-year-old Boehlje would have been in his 40s during the 1980s farm crisis, when prices


Cigi CEO JoAnne Buth says Canada has an opportunity to sell more wheat.

Government should do more to support agricultural science

Agriculture needs to respond to consumer demands for more information

The global production and demand for wheat are rising in a lockstep that leaves low carry-over stocks and an opportunity for Canadian farmers to cash in, says JoAnne Buth, CEO of the Canadian International Grains Institute. Wheat is second only to rice as a dietary staple and shows no signs of losing its consumer desirability,

The CAPI report identifies consumer issues about food that include health, nutrition, food safety, sustainability, ethics, food security and reliability of supply.

The ultimate consumers’ choice award

Significant change is needed throughout the sector to secure Canada’s future global competitiveness

If farmers and food manufacturers want to be ranked world leaders, then they have to prove to Canadian consumers they deserve that status, says the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute. In the final report out of a process charting the industry’s future growth that began last fall, CAPI said the sector should consider setting a goal


Hand and harvester

Editorial: A whole-farm approach

If you think the future of government support for agriculture lies in doing more of the same but only better, you’ll get little comfort from Manitoba’s Agriculture Risk Management Review Task Force report released last week. The 25 recommendations and the supporting appendix report should also make you a little uncomfortable if you think the

Supply management fixation may finally be coming to an end

Supply management fixation may finally be coming to an end

Economist says CWB changes were positive and the same could happen for dairy

We shouldn’t kid ourselves, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal was never really about Canada. It was, in fact, about the United States’ will to undermine China, increase its commercial footprint in the region, and connect with Japan. But whatever the motivation for the deal, it is time to redefine what competitiveness really means to


While the farmer constituency may be small, CFA president Ron Bonnett says the economic activity it generates is over $106 billion each year.

Federal election gaining attention with farm groups

Ag issues will be aired during a candidates’ debate set for Sept. 30

Clear trade rules, measures to manage financial risk and access to sufficient workers are key issues among farm organizations that have released their positions for the Oct. 19 federal election. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, the Canadian Pork Council and Cereals Canada have all waded into the campaign with policy statements.

non GMO sign

Politics and the revenge of the food consumer

The USDA has decided to act on growing pressure and establish a voluntary program 
to label food products with non-GMO content

What was unthinkable a few years ago is now happening. In an unprecedented move, the United States Department of Agriculture has established a voluntary program to label food products with non-GMO content. Non-GMOs already exist in the marketplace, but none of them are sanctioned by the government. At the request of a global food company,