Flush farmers have a reputation for reinvesting in their operations, which has a positive impact on the economy. (Luca Piccini Basile/iStock/Getty Images)

StatsCan shows 2020 farm income up significantly

Farm cash receipts were up more than expenses

Canadian farm income, no matter how it’s measured, was up a lot in 2020, data released Wednesday by Statistics Canada show. Canadian net farm income of $18.1 billion is up $4.8 billion from 2019 — a 36.5 per cent increase. Another measure — realized net farm income (RNFI) — saw farmers take in $9.9 billion,

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Early-pandemic calls to localize supply chains unfounded

With a year's worth of data, three agriculture economists revisit early-pandemic predictions on the food supply chain

With a year's worth of data, three agriculture economists revisit early-pandemic predictions on the food supply chain

A year of data shows early-pandemic calls for radical changes to food systems and risk management programs were unfounded, say some economists. Particularly in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, food supply chains struggled to adapt to changing consumption patterns and processors shut down due to virus outbreaks. “Into that void of uncertainty came


Cashing out: The history of the cash advance in Manitoba

Cashing out: The history of the cash advance in Manitoba

Manitoba’s corn cash advance started 40 years ago followed shortly by canola

Corn was the first non-wheat board crop in Manitoba to qualify for the federal government’s cash advance program starting in 1981. Jim Pedersen, who was president of the Manitoba Corn Growers’ Association at the time, helped get the association incorporated — a prerequisite to administering the program that offers low- and no-interest loans to farmers

Farm incomes — on average — soared in Canada last year

Farm incomes — on average — soared in Canada last year

Grain and oilseed farmers did very well indeed, but livestock producers saw a drop in cash income

Thanks to soaring crop prices, farm income hit a new record in 2020 and will set another one this year, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. “In spite of recent challenges, notably COVID-19’s impacts on the food supply chain, the growth in farm income shows that the sector is weathering these disruptions well and adjusting



Are ever-larger farms really the best model for Prairie agriculture? A report contends there could ultimately be as few as 200 farms of 50,000 acres in Manitoba.

Fewer, bigger farms bad for farmers, Canada: policy paper

But one ag economist says government intervention won’t 
stop the trend and will make farmers less competitive

The number of Manitoba farms peaked in 1941 and ever since they’ve been getting bigger in size and fewer in number — a trend that shows no signs of stopping. Some call that progress, others preposterous. Darrin Qualman is among the latter. The National Farmers Union’s (NFU) director of Climate Crisis Policy and Action says


Rt. Hon. Don Mazankowski (CNW Group/The Family of Don Mazankowski)

Former federal ag minister Don Mazankowski, 85

Long-time Alberta Tory MP deemed a 'minister of everything'

A private memorial is planned for long-time Alberta MP Don Mazankowski, whose work in the cabinets of prime ministers Brian Mulroney and Joe Clark included a stint as Canada’s minister of agriculture. Mazankowski, the MP for the east-central Alberta riding of Vegreville from 1968 to 1993, died late Tuesday at age 85, his family said

File photo of Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau speaking in Winnipeg in February 2020. (Dave Bedard photo)

Bibeau not considering closing AgriInvest accounts

Minister wouldn't order farmers to pull funds

Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau is not considering ordering producers to withdraw from their AgriInvest accounts. “Not in this way. All the options are on the table for the future, but I’ve never considered asking them to withdraw, to empty their accounts, to face COVID-19,” she said in an interview Friday. Bibeau had previously expressed


Farm Credit Canada says despite headwinds, there are reasons for Manitoba farmers to be optimistic.

Bright spots for Manitoba farmers: FCC

Despite the pandemic there are positives for Manitoba producers, the national ag lender says


Profit margins for 2020 are projected to be tight for Manitoba farmers, but it’s not all doom and gloom, say officials with Farm Credit Canada (FCC). It’s hard to parse COVID-19’s impact on farmer expenses and revenues relative to other factors such as weather and commodity supply and demand, J.P. Gervais, FCC’s vice-president and chief

Going down: the true farm income picture

Going down: the true farm income picture

Farmers have seen their wealth creation scooped up by others for decades

Farm income up in 2019” was the front-page headline in the June 4 Co-operator. Though superficially true, a closer look at the numbers demonstrates the opposite, and reveals a troubling picture. How we measure and report farm income matters. Net cash income, the measure used in the June 4 story, omits depreciation — the value