Business/Finance Archives - Page 9 of 63

Watch agricultural commodity markets for seasonal patterns

Taking advantage of these trends to your benefit is both an art and science

By David Derwin August 6, 2019

Seasonality in farm commodity prices is a commonly followed market indicator and it makes some sense. Given crops are planted in the spring, subject to weather throughout the growing season and then harvested in the fall, they follow a natural pattern throughout the calendar year. But the more important question is: can you profit from

When farms go high tech they won’t need as many employees — but the ones they have will need specialized skills.

News, Other

Workers and tech needed to plug labour gap

But as the sector becomes more technology driven, there’s a serious skills mismatch

By Alex Binkley August 6, 2019

Back-to-back announcements on agriculture work issues spell out the challenge that farmers will increasingly face in grappling with long-standing worker shortages and adopting new technology into their operations. First was a report July 22 from the Canadian Agriculture Human Resources Council (CAHRC) that said “nearly all farm employers share similar challenges when it comes to

News, Other

Government support for Canadian farms well below global average

OECD remains critical of Canada’s supply management system

By Alex Binkley July 24, 2019

Canada remains the perennial Boy Scout of international agriculture policy. Canadian farmers receive less government support than producers in many other countries, according to the latest report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. However, the organization remains critical of supply management in the dairy and poultry sector. With the introduction of business risk

The federal Agriculture Department is touting new extreme weather tracking tools.

News, Weather

AAFC unveils extreme weather tracker

The online tool could be handy when planting and cropping decisions are at hand

By Alex Binkley July 8, 2019

Agriculture Canada has unveiled a new online weather watching tool that will enable farmers to better track extreme weather conditions during the agricultural growing season. Called ‘Extreme Weather Indices,’ the tool was developed in collaboration with Environment Canada’s weather service and should help farmers plan their planting and harvesting operations. Like weather forecasts, the indices

Grain Farmers of Ontario wants a trade war fund created that will provide support for the non-supply-managed sector during turbulent times.

Opinion, Other

Opinion: Time for a trade war fund

By Barry Senft June 24, 2019

According to the analysts, futures, input costs, land prices, and market unpredictability are all lining up to create what could be a perfect storm for grain farmers; and unlike our neighbours to the south or the supply-managed sector, we have an inadequate safety net. U.S. farmers received US$9 billion this past year because President Donald

Craft cannabis operators say new regulations are effectively shutting them out of the market.

News

New cannabis regulations a mixed blessing for small growers

Craft cannabis growers could generate thousands of jobs in rural communities if given the chance, experts say

By Geralyn Wichers June 17, 2019

Craft cannabis growers have a lot to offer rural communities, but new Health Canada regulations may be a mixed blessing, experts say. In May, Health Canada announced that those applying for licenses to grow cannabis must have a fully built site meeting all cannabis regulations. In the announcement, Health Canada cited the changes would address

Steel tariffs made farm equipment manufacturing margins smaller last year.

Equipment, News, Other

Tariffs made for ‘lean year’ for agriculture manufacturers

The lifting of the U.S.-Canada steel tariffs should make trade easier, but it might be too early to tell if it will reduce the cost of farm machinery

By Geralyn Wichers, John Greig June 12, 2019

Despite dropped steel tariffs, one Manitoba manufacturer of agricultural equipment says it’s too early to be optimistic. “I think it’s just going to be a regular day of business,” said Darren Blazeiko, general manager of Cancade CBI Ltd. in Brandon. Why it matters: The tariffs have made imports of steel and equipment and exports of

Canada’s food-processing industry employs more than a quarter of a million people across the country.

Comment, Opinion, Other

Comment: Death by regulation

Canadian companies are being hampered by too much government oversight

By Sylvain Charlebois June 10, 2019

The regulation of food industries has always been necessary. In the western world, successive governments have successfully played the anti-business card by implementing regulations so that consumers and the public at large feel someone is looking out for them. But at times, governments are known to flirt with populist measures in their attempt to gain

Editorial, Opinion, Other

Editorial: Back to normal

By Gord Gilmour June 6, 2019

A farmer who’s been around the block can’t be blamed for watching the current economic and political situation with growing nervousness. Anyone who was associated with a Prairie farm during the 1980s and ’90s has no choice but to remember those painful lost years, especially in the crops sector. Income dried up, losses mounted and

Thanks to tweets, blog posts, online product listings, factory-to-market retail, etc., we are seeing a direct line of communication to users and customers.

Comment, Other

Comment: The fourth industrial revolution

Farmers can benefit more than most from the rapid technological advancements that are all around us

By Ryan Amberg June 4, 2019

Who is a farmer? My answer: a professional, a person of integrity and honesty, an expert in his or her field, a steward of the land, a champion of the working class, an employer, a hard worker and an entrepreneur. All these things are true and define most of the people driving today’s farm. It’s

Daily Network News

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures end lower

ICE Weekly: Trade progress, new data threaten to break canola’s price range

CBOT Weekly: Trade awaits USDA S/D report

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