KAP Explores Weather-Indexed Production Insurance

“I guess it really boils down to kind of a philosophical discussion over who should be delivering crop insurance.” – NEIL HAMILTON If Manitoba farmers could’ve insured against a killing frost occurring in late August, many would’ve, suspects Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) president Ian Wishart. Fortunately, the frost held off and disaster was averted. Farmers

Washington Is Supporting Your Canola

For three-times-daily market reports from Don Bousquet and RNI, visit “ICE Futures Canada updates” at www.manitobacooperator.ca Gr a i n and oilseed prices at ICE Futures Canada in Winnipeg closed the week ended Nov. 20 higher, with canola seeing moderate gains. Strength in the U. S. soy complex, friendly technical signals, a weaker Canadian dollar


Funds Eye Poor-Performer Wheat In Hunt For Laggards

“Our discretionary managers… are long wheat because in an absolute sense it’s been extremely beaten up.” – ALEX ALLEN, EDDINGTON CAPITAL MANAGEMENT Wheat has been the poor cousin of commodities this year, losing value as star performers such as copper, lead and sugar have flown, but the humble grain is now beginning to catch the

Is Africa Selling Out Its Farmers?

For centuries, farmers like Berhanu Gudina have eked out a living in Ethiopia’s central lowlands, tending tiny plots of maize, wheat or barley amid the vastness of the lush green plains. Now, they find themselves working cheek by jowl with high-tech commercial farms stretching over thousands of hectares tilled by state-of-the-art tractors – and owned


Investor Fund Seeks To Buy Farmland

Aprivate sector agriculture fund worth $350 million plans to launch by the end of the year in the Gulf, with an aim to acquire farmland in Eastern Europe and Africa, an executive told Reuters Nov. 11. Gulf countries, mainly reliant on food imports, have increased efforts over the last year to buy or lease land

Agricultural Policy For Developing Countries: Back To Basics

While many in the U. S. see single-desk marketing boards controlled by farmers as problematic, one needs to consider the nature of the markets into which farmers sell their products. Agricultural policy in developing countries has been an ongoing concern since the end of the Second World War and the dismantling of colonial European empires.


Not The Time To Neglect Agriculture

The 34th North American European Union Agricultural Conference, a major forum for discussion on solutions to the world economic crisis affecting farmers, was hosted by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture at Niagara Falls, Ontario this fall. This year, there were representatives from 73 farm organizations from 19 different countries. It is widely agreed that agricultural

Globalization Creates A Race To The Bottom

Th e Wo r l d Tr a d e Organization’s (WTO) Public Forum, which happens every two years, was held in Geneva at the end of September. There were few farm groups represented at the forum, but the CFA and some of its members did attend. Walking into the plenary session can be likened


Hail Damage Seen Below Average

Manitoba’s farms saw “relatively light” hail damage during the 2009 growing season, with a near-average number of claims but total hail insurance payouts “well below average.” The Canadian Crop Hail Association, a Prairie hail insurers’ group, last week pegged Manitoba’s total hail insurance payouts for the 2009 season at just $12.2 million, spread over 2,650

Guidelines Could Help Improve Farmland Deals

A draft of the first-ever international code of conduct for farmland deals should be ready by the end of the year, the head of the United Nations’ International Fund for Agricultural Development said. The draft document will lead to more discussion about how to ensure deals benefit host nations, as well as those seeking to