Marketing your crop through the cash market is not the only tool for farmers to use. A growing group of farmers are using the derivative market with futures and options to manage the volatile risk of commodities. With the increase in price volatility producers have to reach out to use as much of the toolbox... Read More

The biggest technology innovation in 2010 was the launch of the Ipad from Apple. At first glance many people thought it was nothing more than a glorified iPod and sounded like a feel health product. Well the criticism and sarcasm ended very quickly once consumers started using the product. For many of us the iPad... Read More

There is no doubt that this year farmers in the Red River Valley region of Manitoba will be watching water levels closely. An above average amount of snow this winter as well as runoff from upstream could mean trouble for anyone caught in the flood plains. A slow melt so far has helped brighten the... Read More

Markets go up and markets go down. In the last thirty days canola has taken quite a run in multiple directions. Is it overbought, oversold or just right. Ask all of us in November. The trading range of $500 - $600 per tonne seems to be a real opportunity to trade the range but for... Read More

The Grain Farmers of Ontario held their March Classic conference early this week with a sense of cautious optimism. Most Ontario growers had a great 2010, but echoes of the 2008 season are still lingering with the volatility of commodity prices and the weather situation very much in play. All in all the mood was... Read More

It has been a challenging year for cattle feeders in the respect that unhedged cattle have performed well financially but the majority of cattle for progressive producers were contracted or hedged. On top of this is the fact that replacing cattle in the feed yard is very expensive based on the break evens that are... Read More

By Jason Stroeve It's a running joke that while it costs you $55 to $100 dollars a year to get into Costco, it usually costs you at least $200 dollars every time you leave. I like shopping at Costco and apparently so does the rest of the world. If you're successful at navigating the parking... Read More

"Those dairy farmers print money!" That's what a friend of mine says every time the subject of dairy farms comes up. Drive down many roads in Canada and it's easy to see how that perception was born. Huge brand new facilities, multi-site operations with finely manicured yards and milking parlors with nicer tile most people's... Read More

If you cannot see the embedded video above click here. There are extreme challenges in the grocery store in trying to decipher all the labelling, marketing and propaganda. With the current rise in food prices there has been an increased coverage of what food costs in the mainstream media. Some of the most expensive food... Read More