In the January 2024 edition of the RealAgristudies Canadian Farmer Sentiment Index, the mood among Canada's farmers and ranchers has notably darkened, with an increased level of concern about their financial health and the overall state of the Canadian agricultural economy. This summary, drawing from the valuable insights of those who participated in the survey,... Read More
Category: RealAgristudies
Last month, RealAgristudies asked farmers and ranchers across Canada for their perspectives on their involvement, support, and challenges with producer groups. Over 700 farmers participated to share their thoughts on: Producer group membership and participation Asking for check-off refunds, when available Effectiveness of producer groups Praise for what groups do well and where they need... Read More
Governments across the world are crafting policy to influence industry practices with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Canadian government is doing the same through programs such as the On-Farm Climate Action Fund and others. But how effective have these programs been and how do farmers see them influencing what practices they engage... Read More
Off-farm income has been a contributor to farm households for decades, but in many ways the extent and role it plays in the farm business isn't fully understood. In the October Canadian Farmer sentiment index conducted by RealAgristudies, we asked questions related to off-farm income in order to better understand the role it plays on... Read More
Soil testing is a critical component of nutrient management. A comprehensive soil testing protocol can be a significant investment of time and cash, however the pay off in managing the fertilizer bill, maximizing yield potential, and possibly decreasing environmental impacts makes it very worth it for many farms. Still, soil testing is not universal, and... Read More
The results of the Canadian Farmer Sentiment Index for October 2023 are in, which means, for the first time, we can compare year-over-year trends and changes in farmer sentiment on several topics. Over six hundred farmers weighed in on the survey to share their thoughts on current and future financial performance of the farm, their... Read More
The land market has provided a very stable investment opportunity for farmers for quite some time. As the industry looks forward, questions arise on what will happen to the price of land as external variables, such as rising interest rates, sticky input prices and commodity price concerns stack up. In early October, Farm Credit Canada... Read More
Consolidation is a fact of life in the agricultural industry, and there have been waves of it over time. In 2023, one of the biggest potential mergers has been the combination of Bunge and Viterra, which will have impacts on the grain procurement, handling, and processing sectors. Of course, another major stakeholder potentially impacted are... Read More
Year-over-year, farmers aren't necessarily more concerned about inflation; however, a large majority of those who answered the latest RealAgristudies survey on the topic feel strongly that government policy has contributed to inflation. The survey, which wrapped September 8, 2023, of over 500 farmers from across Canada, took the pulse not only on how farmers feel... Read More
Farmers haven't significantly changed loan makeup on farms, and are sticking with variable rate loans this year compared to sixteen months ago. The number of farmers with all fixed-rate loans has held steady in the same time frame. That's according to the latest survey from the RealAgristudies Insights Panel, which ran late last month with... Read More