It was slow and steady, but farmers have won the race to get the 2016 Ontario corn crop in the ground. It’s been a cool spring that’s required lots of patience, says Pride Seeds Market Agronomist Ken Currah. On this episode of Real Agriculture Corn School, Currah looks back at spring planting conditions and discusses... Read More
Category: Podcasts
Challenging times in the machinery market continue, as tractor sales in Canada slump. According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers' April data, year-to-date tractor sales in Canada are down 18.6 percent from last year. 4-wheel-drive sales are down 22.1 percent, while 2-wheel-drive sales are down 18.4 percent. Combine sales in Canada are bucking the trend,... Read More
Earlier this week, Brian Perillat, senior analyst with Canfax, joined Shaun Haney to talk about the May 1 cattle report. The report, published Sunday, showed on-feed numbers in Alberta and Saskatchewan up 8%. What caused the bump? "As Brian alluded in that last interview, the cattle that didn't go south — the feeder cattle last... Read More
Monsanto and Bayer both confirmed late Wednesday that there's been communication between the two companies about Bayer buying Monsanto. If a deal between the two ag giants is reached, it would certainly have an impact on Canadian agriculture, particularly in the Western Canadian canola market. RealAg's Shaun Haney and Kelvin Heppner took some time on... Read More
Bayer has sent a purchase offer over to the folks at Monsanto, former ag minister Gerry Ritz thinks the federal Liberals should get moving with ratifying the Trans-Pacific Partnership, even if the U.S. isn't on board, and planting continues across the country, despite dry conditions, frost and other challenges. As we catch up on this... Read More
The federal government is "purposefully delaying" making a commitment that Canada will participate in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, says the trade critic for the Official Opposition. Gerry Ritz, who was the agriculture minister when the terms of the TPP were finalized prior to the federal election last fall, says the Liberals appear intent on dragging out... Read More
Wondering why the wheat is looking burnt? Or if the frost affected your crop? Have you been out scouting for insects yet? Peter Johnson, resident agronomist for RealAgriculture, returns to answer questions and share his agronomic insight in his weekly update — the Word. Skip to Podcast Have a question for Wheat Pete? Call 1-888-746-3311,... Read More
The Canadian dollar could be settling in for some quieter time after a wild ride over the last year. In May 2015, the loonie traded at over 83 cents US. It then went for a slide, bottoming out in mid-January at around 68 cents before rallying aggressively, touching 80 cents in early May. The dollar... Read More
The online sharing concept that has produced Uber, Airbnb and other examples of peer-to-peer services aimed at better utilizing existing capital is developing in the U.S. farm machinery market. MachineryLink Sharing, which launched in the fourth quarter of 2015, bills itself as the industry's first internet-based equipment sharing program. Farmers, and even some equipment dealers,... Read More
Coming off record global production last year, world wheat supplies are massive. And yet, growing year-over-year ending stocks have not translated into a major decline in cash wheat bids for Canadian farmers. That's mainly due to two related factors: the weak Canadian dollar and tightening Canadian supplies — a function of the weak dollar driving... Read More