Crop residue burning might be banned, but there are no plans yet to do so, Manitoba’s agriculture minister told farmers at Keystone Agricultural Producers’ annual convention last week. “I’m not ruling anything out,” he said. “All the options are open and it’ll depend on the advice I get.” Last fall, residue fires outraged many Winnipeggers […] Read more
Ed White
Stories by Ed White
Man. producers worry about qualifications of ag minister
Western Manitoba farmer George Graham asked farm leaders from Saskatchewan and Alberta about the background of their agriculture ministers. Both replied they were farmers. “You have no idea how lucky you are,” said Graham, causing a ripple of laughter through the Keystone Agricultural Producers’ annual convention during a session with prairie farm leaders. “We have […] Read more
Fabulous future, but how do you get there?
This morning at the Manitoba Swine Seminar I sat through a great presentation on the long range prospects for livestock producers. It was given by a long time meat industry executive and consultant. And, after skeptically going through what he was saying, I had to conclude that it all sounded kosher. But I’ve sat through […] Read more
The fine art of flogging fat
The other morning I felt all warm and glowy as I walked to the office. It wasn’t because I was overdressed and it was a nice day: it was -29 with a wind and I wasn’t wearing long johns and I had more than four miles to go. In fact, it was so freakin’ cold […] Read more
Bounce or break?
All the ag markets today seem to be vexing us with the question of: Are prices going to bounce or break? Are they going to bounce off of support levels, where they’re floating uneasily around right now, or break through and start a leg down? It doesn’t seem to matter what chart you look at, […] Read more
Sioux City hog plant closes
If one Sioux plant had to go down, it’s better for prairie hog farmers if it’s the City, not the Falls, say market analysts. But even though the more modern John Morrell plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is going to increase its production because of the closing of the Morrell plant in Sioux City, […] Read more
Interest rates expected to rise later this year
BRANDON – With interest rates this low, it’s easy to carry a lot of debt. But what happens if interest rates jump? That’s something farmers need to think about, analysts said during several sessions at Manitoba Ag Days held last week in Brandon. “There’s only one side for the future on rates, and that’s on […] Read more
Optimism about farm sector overrides ag debt concerns
Michael Hoffart looks at an unsettled world economy and sees a glass half-full for farmers, which is why he thinks their ever-increasing overall debt load won’t be a problem. “The total debt on Canadian farms is increasing but I would suggest remains sustainable if we manage it appropriately,” says Hoffart, Farm Credit Canada’s vice-president of […] Read more
Altamont for capitalists?
The World Economic Forum has opened in Davos, Switzerland, and it seems almost as subdued as last year’s event. This is the international conflab of gods of investment and finance that allows the world’s most confident economic forecasters be even more confident than they usually are. The problem for the past two years is that […] Read more
How far up can hog prices go?
In case you haven’t noticed lately, hog prices have staged a major recovery. (Until the past week.) The surge that began back in August continues still, dragging up April Chicago lean hog futures from around $55/cwt to around $70/cwt. For most American market hog producers that’s a profitable level, and while Canadians are still losing […] Read more
