Cow-calf operators and the rest of the beef industry are facing their usual dilemma, but it is being exaggerated and worsened by COVID-19. When they invest today, they’re investing in a market that is years away. And the trends that will reveal what that market should be won’t be visible for months, or years. It’s […] Read more
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Pork sector praised for adjusting to pandemic
Production was four percent higher than 2019, which showed processors’ ability to keep operating despite the challenges
Canada’s pork industry survived the shock, the shutdowns, the disruptions and the costs of the first year of COVID-19 and had a good year — overall. But expect to see some changes in the post-COVID industry, says a team of University of Guelph researchers. “The implementation of labour-saving technology … will be spurred by the […] Read more
Vaccine or seeding: could be a tough choice this spring
One of the worst photography assignments at The Western Producer is being sent out to take photos of farmers seeding. It’s not the taking of pictures of farmers actually seeding that’s the problem. It’s getting them to stop for a moment, come out of the cab, and pose for a pic, while providing a handful […] Read more
Food companies anxious to get back to the office
Canada’s protein processors and their workers didn’t miss much work in 2020 and the first few months of 2021. Regardless of temporary plant shutdowns and office lockdowns, Canada’s food companies kept working, with white collar employees moving their operations off-site to home offices. They hardly seemed to miss a beat. But some of Manitoba’s big […] Read more
Pleasure of few choices can be a blessing for producers
Many, perhaps most, farmers these days benefit from a wonderful bit of contrarian psychology, especially at this time of year: it’s better to have fewer choices than more choices. With many farmers’ rotations set, there isn’t much to decide when it comes to what to do with free acres because there really aren’t any. With […] Read more
Food system withstood pandemic challenge
Report credits much of the success to keeping Canada-U.S. border open, which helped companies keep goods flowing
After a year of the pandemic, the ability of Canada’s food system to continue to function while providing generally affordable food has been proven, observed two agricultural economists. In the opener to a special edition of the Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics, James Deaton of the University of Guelph and Brady J. Deaton of the […] Read moreIndustry “resiliency” is a never-given
Everybody hates getting their vehicle stuck and having to call for help. I’m sure the captain of the Ever Given, the gigantic container ship that completely blocked the Suez Canal for a week, was mightily embarrassed having to put out an emergency call to canal officials, tug boat operators and his bosses at the shipping […] Read more
Canola industry keen to get back on growth path
Growers and the rest of Canada’s canola industry are hoping 2021 brings it back to the growth trajectory that had been propelling it toward its goals. Another year of flat production will make it seem almost impossible to achieve the Canola Council of Canada’s 2025 targets. Right now, production and yields are only halfway between […] Read more
Canola’s (mostly) excellent year
Success in 2020’s farming looks different in today’s rear-view mirror. “We planted the crop. We harvested the crop. We marketed the crop,” Bernie McClean, a Glaslyn, Sask., farmer and a new board member with the Canola Council of Canada, said in mid-March, the day after the organization’s abridged and online-only annual meeting. That ability to […] Read more
Lingering populism considered ongoing threat to trade
Rabobank says conditions remain ideal for populist leaders to thrive, one of many challenges faced by world’s exporters
The defeat of former U.S. president Donald Trump and the fading fortunes of a few populist heavyweights isn’t the same as the decline of populism, says a Rabobank macro-economics strategist. In fact, while some populists fade, populism itself around the world could grow and become stronger, while struggling populists turn more extreme rather than moderate […] Read more
