CN and CP say recent legislation allowed them to make the improvements that helped accommodate increased volumes
Nobody knew COVID-19 was coming, but Canada’s railways were primed to make the most of their sudden ability to ship grain to port. Two years of heavy investing into 2020 had set up Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway to be able to haul much more grain than before the 2018 Transportation Modernization Act […] Read moreAuthor Archives
Trucking industry faced COVID-19 backlash from fearful public
Truck drivers were on the front lines of the war to keep the Canadian grain, industrial and commercial systems operating during the first months of COVID-19. But when they needed momentary respite so they could keep doing their duties, they were often treated like enemies rather than noble warriors. “Life on the road is challenging […] Read more
Ag markets trends for 2021: What do we need to watch?
After the jolting shocks of 2020, who knows what the world is going to throw at farmers and agriculture markets in 2021? I took a little look at that in my last column of 2020, in the December 24 edition, which you can see here. (My editors appear to be indulging their senses of humour […] Read more
Dairy, hog sectors suffer hits
The dairy industry has rebounded from economic shutdown in early stages of the pandemic while the hog industry continues to struggle with low prices and logistics issues
Two of Canada’s livestock industries got savaged in the first COVID-19 lockdowns and outbreaks, but both have stabilized and one is recovering. Rather than the disasters that ravaged both the dairy and hog industries in spring, the two production systems have fallen out of the national news. “There’s a lot more confidence in the industry […] Read more
How processors weathered the COVID storm
For a while, problems at North American meatpacking plants were front page news. As infections afflicted thousands of workers at numerous major facilities, including Canada’s two biggest beef processors, the outlook appeared dire. Could they keep operating? Could plants that had been shut down be brought back into production? Would new health protocols and supply […] Read more
Agriculture hit by COVID-19 but mainly showed resiliency
The year 2020 did a big favour for market prognosticators. The pandemic was such a shock that every analyst had a valid excuse for why their end-of-2019 predictions about the coming year didn’t pan out. COVID-19’s enormous impact gave everybody cover for being wrong, unlike most years when they’re wrong because they got it wrong […] Read more
2020: The year food mattered
Farmers often complain about the way people living in cities seem to take our high-quality, high-safety food system for granted. Nobody in Canada worries about starving. Malnourishment is generally the result of bad diet choices, poverty or social dysfunctions, not an inability to find or obtain enough food to survive and be healthy. Why worry […] Read more
Tempered flour seen as new market for pulses
A Regina company hopes to capture some of the large market for wheat flour by using lentils, peas, chickpeas and beans
A Regina food ingredient creator and processor is boosting its efforts to develop new uses for prairie pulse crops. “The potential market is huge,” said Gord Flaten, chief executive officer of Avena Foods. “There are hundreds of millions of tonnes of flour consumed in the world.” Some of that mostly wheat-based flour could be displaced […] Read more
Permanent deal with U.K. next priority for exporters
Canada has a chance to ink a better-than-expected deal with the United Kingdom as that country leaves the European Union and sallies forth onto the global stage. But even though Canada is in a better position than almost any other country in getting a permanent trade deal on good terms, many factors make the future […] Read more
Strong demand expected to push corn, soybean prices
Analyst argues tighter stocks will help prices keep ahead of increased acreage and yields in the United States next year
Scott Irwin has a beautiful Christmas gift for grain farmers. It’s the year 2021 wrapped in bullish projections that won’t be easy to tear off. The noted University of Illinois market analyst sees “very strong corn and soybean prices in 2021,” he said during the Illinois Farm Economics Summit Dec. 2. Irwin sees plenty of […] Read more
