One of the five publications market analyst and consultant Kevin Grier Market offers is an in-depth look at the Canadian grocery trade. "StatsCan publishes financial data every quarter," explains Grier in the following interview, "and I get them to peel away the food retail data...and once again the gross retail margins are looking very good... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Fans of all ages can't wait to get their hands on the new Friends of Len album. This thirteen song recording comes to us from Len Kahn, president of marketing firm Kahntact. When he's not directing marketing communications for some of agriculture's leading agribusinesses, Kahn can usually be found sitting behind his drum kit. A... Read More
Calling it a "watershed moment," five Manitoba farm groups have published their plan to amalgamate into a single provincial organization. The proposal was released on Thursday after nine months of meetings between board and staff representatives from Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers, Manitoba Flax Growers, the National Sunflower Association of Canada, Manitoba Corn Growers and... Read More
So what makes a rural community? Some people believe that it is about the hospital, the hockey rink, the school or maybe the post office. What about the local newspaper? Is it still a fabric of the community like it once was? We might not even know how much they mean until they are all... Read More
Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau shared new details on his government's proposed tax policy changes for income splitting or sprinkling on Wednesday, the last day before MPs head home for Christmas. The revised changes include "bright line" tests designed to determine whether a business owner's family members make meaningful contributions to the business, and are... Read More
We often hear that farmers need to tell their story. Farmers need to speak up and make sure their concerns are heard and are understood by politicians and consumers. Too many times our messages seem to fall on deaf ears with left and right leaning governments. However, last week's #farmers4NAFTA campaign by U.S. farm groups... Read More
The average Canadian family of four will spend $348 more on food in 2018, according to an annual food price report released on Wednesday. Published by Dalhousie University and the University of Guelph, the 8th edition of "Canada's Food Price Report" forecasts higher restaurant spending and La Nina will drive food costs higher next year,... Read More
Farmers and grain shippers won't be getting long-awaited changes to grain transportation rules for Christmas this year. Bill C-49, the Transportation Modernization Act, cleared the House of Commons at the end of October, but has only reached second reading in the Senate. Transport Minister Marc Garneau, who has been urging the Senate to approve the... Read More
Before we begin to explain how blockchain may be a game changer for agricultural marketing let's answer that question that is likely at the top of your mind. "What the the heck is blockchain?" According to the Harvard Business Review, it is "an open, distributed ledger that can record transactions between two parties efficiently and... Read More
As farmers finalize and consider their crop decisions for 2018 with a lot more detail, there are some developing conversations that are creating a bit of a stir among farmers, agronomists and industry. The debate over soybean acres is exciting, but the real concern is canola acres. Canola acres were a record 22.8 million acres... Read More