In the financial advice biz, there’s an important rule known as KYC. No, that’s not a misspelling of Kentucky Fried Chicken, which is now just KFC. Since the 1990s. (A whole generation of kids doesn’t know what KFC used to stand for, other than greasy chicken). It’s Know Your Client. What that means is you […] Read more
Ed White
Stories by Ed White
Why grainers should care about hoggers today
Grain growers often care little about the profit situation of the livestock producers around them. And livestock producers often don’t give a tinker’s dam about the situation of grain growers. With the two big sides of the ag industry being generally inversely related in terms of profitability, that makes sense to a degree. Grain growers […] Read more
Whether weather is the link, or whether it’s delinked from the weather
So, canola’s broken above a medium-term resistance point that had many wondering if it had topped. That much we know. Here is that breakout on the chart: Since mid-summer canola’s been bouncing off that $470 ceiling, and this breakout to the upside is fantastic. So why’s it happening? You may think that’s a silly question, […] Read more
Weird marketing season to come
The numbers look nice in the most recent Canadian Wheat Board Pool Return Outlook: 2010-11 Number One CWRS 13.5 has jumped from $7.57 per bushel last month (before deductions) to $8.16 today. Durum is up 30-40 cents per bushel, with 1 CWAD moving from $6.61 last month to $6.99. But that good news doesn’t mean […] Read more
Locking in prices should wait until after harvest
Many marketing advisers say farmers should avoid locking in too much of their expected crop if they’re having harvesting problems and aren’t sure what will end up in the bin. Current strong crop prices – including Chicago corn at more than $5 US per bushel, Minneapolis wheat at more than $7.70 per bu. and Winnipeg […] Read more
Oat growers’ fortunes depend on how they fared with weather
Oat growers are telling two stories this season: one happy and one sad. The happy story comes from farmers who seeded before it started to rain this spring and who harvested before the fall rain began to fall. The sad story is told by those who seeded early but haven’t been able to harvest, and […] Read more
Weanling exports up, slaughter hogs down
Manitoba’s weanling pig producers have been making steady, profitable sales to U.S. buyers in 2010. But exports have stabilized at a much lower level than during the pre-country-of-origin labelling era, and the industry and a leading analyst say the current demand is not proof that the American market will remain open. American producers’ buying methods […] Read more
Officials work to resume canaryseed trade
Canadian officials are in Mexico trying to end that country’s canaryseed import ban, but are not offering hope of an imminent solution. Mexico’s zero tolerance policy for weed seeds in canaryseed shipments means that no new sales to Mexico, Canada’s biggest customer, are being made, and there is no indication yet what standard Canadian exporters […] Read more
Farmers demand larger share of food dollar
Consumers might think farmers are getting fat from rich grocery store prices, but prairie farm groups say producers only get a skinny sliver of the pie. And they say farmers could get a bigger piece of the pie without boosting food prices – if middlemen went on a profit diet. “It doesn’t need to cost […] Read more
Evolving demands, headaches, opportunities
I’m in Saskatoon at The Western Producer’s annual editorial conference. It’s a chance to catch up with colleagues and for those of us who live in the network of far-flung news bureaus to get up to speed with developments here at our imperial headquarters. I must say it’s nice to be part of a newspaper […] Read more
