Alberta's Peace region has taken flack over the years for its tight canola rotations. The snow-canola-snow rotation was once a laughing matter, but after today's announcement the joke is no longer funny. The Canola Council of Canada has announced that clubroot has been discovered in the southeast corner of the northern Alberta region. This changes... Read More
Category: Western Canada
In a speech that reminded everyone that Donald Trump loves to campaign maybe even more than actually being President, the foundations of NAFTA could be rockier than people want to believe. The President gave a rally speech in Arizona where he stated “I don’t think we can make a deal because we have been so... Read More
In a year end grain report published today, CN reported that 21.8 million metric tonnes of grain was moved during the 2016-17 growing year, making it a record for the transportation company. "Through innovation, collaboration and improved communication with our supply chain partners, CN moved more grain in a single crop year than ever before,"... Read More
As Canadian ranchers and feeders head into the the thick of the fall run there are many variables that come into play. Fluctuations in export demand, the Canadian dollar, futures prices, weather, trade, and feed costs are all hanging over how great of a fall it will be for producers. At the Canadian Beef Industry... Read More
What’s the value of public opinion? That’s a question I find myself asking more often these days. In a democracy, public opinion should matter and politicians and policy makers should have a strong understanding of the people’s will when making public policy. But should they give the people what they want? Today we have no... Read More
The Canadian economy has been healthy as of late, which has many farmers with higher debt levels somewhat concerned about interest rate increases in the near future. Farmers have enjoyed a low interest rate environment for quite some time, but the reality is - the Bank of Canada has some some decisions to make. Additionally... Read More
The exodus of young people from the farm seems to have tapered off as, among other things, prices and trade conditions improved and farmers diversified. But today, what factors are primarily responsible for keeping young farmers on their land? To what extend do cultural, societal and emotional matters figure in? And if those matters have... Read More
Last week when Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall announced he is retiring from public politics, ag twitter exploded with an outpouring of kind words and mentions of sorrow that the unofficial leader of conservatives across from Western Canada will no longer be there to represent them. So what is it? Why did Premier Brad Wall have... Read More
Grain prices all headed lower this week as beneficial rains and slower bullish headlines pushed more profit-taking action in the markets. Canola traded sideways for the week but did drop down to $492 CAD / MT before closing at nearly $507 on the November contract. Soybeans acted similarly, only losing 0.1% whereas its acreage competitor,... Read More
People from all corners of the cattle business in Canada were at Stampede Park in Calgary this week for the second annual Canadian Beef Industry Conference. Attendance was up over last year, with over 700 registered attendees and banquet attendance on Wednesday night topping 820. "We were hoping to build on the success of last... Read More