Crop and stock markets have enjoyed a big rally since early March and some forecasters predict prices will continue to rise. But others urge caution and are telling farmers it’s wise to price some new crop at values available now. They see large downside risks ahead for the major crops. “We believe the current spurt […] Read more
Ed White
Stories by Ed White
Crop prices handle the flu
Joe Victor assumed corn and cereal prices would fall when flu panics hit. After all, the Allendale Inc. analyst figured, if consumers become worried and traders, commercial buyers and sellers of meat and feedgrains rush to dump those commodities before prices fell, the tumble would become a self-fulfilling prophecy. To test his assumptions, Victor looked […] Read more
P.E.I., prairie farmers face similar challenges
Prince Edward Island has a different environment and farming system than what’s found on the Prairies. But agricultural economics eminence grise Ed Tyrchniewicz told University of Manitoba agriculture students and faculty that farmers in P.E.I. and on the Prairies face the same challenge if they want to survive: how to make it from the second […] Read more
Greetings from Dr. Doom
Just when you were getting happy and optimistic about commodity prices, Dr. Doom comes to crash the party. In my email basket this a.m. was a cheerless report from Nouriel Roubini, called Dr. Doom by many because of his calls before the crash for it to happen and since it began for it to go […] Read more
Paraguay takes soybeans by storm
It’s an underdeveloped country that has to cope with giant, often unco-operative neighbours and faces internal social strife that could rip it apart. But plucky Paraguayan farmers have quietly gained confidence and made their country the world’s fourth largest exporter of soybeans. “We are a landlocked country, so we have to be extremely competitive,” Sonia […] Read more
Family builds presence in region
EAST SELKIRK, Man. – Patti Chorney didn’t know much about the big steel that her husband-to-be showed her in 1988, before they got married. “She called the auger ‘the pencil,’ and didn’t know how anything worked,” said Murray, fondly remembering his return to the farm. “It was a breath of fresh air to bring someone […] Read more
Pork gets support amid H1N1 crisis
Downtown office workers, civil servants, politicians and farmers chowed down on free barbecued pork May 11 at the Manitoba legislative grounds. Other rallies were held at the House of Commons in Ottawa, and in Calgary and Edmonton. Politicians, pork industry officials and consumers were putting their money where their mouths are, promoting Canadian pork as […] Read more
Grain trade ‘business as usual’
Prairie grain exporters appear to have escaped the credit crunch that crushed other export industries last fall and early winter. While other industries are regrouping after a post-crash rout, crop sellers have had a good winter and hope it continues. “Things are still going reasonably close to what I would call business as usual,” said […] Read more
Hedge tool needs open trade
Hog and pork markets have been stressed by trade disruptions associated with the H1N1 flu virus but the Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures contract still is setting a good benchmark for Canadian producers. Tyler Fulton, risk management specialist with the Manitoba Pork Marketing Co-op, decided to run several “what if” scenarios to test the […] Read more
Right in ’08, so what about ’09?
Right now I’m sitting at Starbucks at Portage and Main, imbibing a caffeine-laced beverage, working up the energy to tackle a 29 minute taped interview I did yesterday with a leading American crop price forecaster. This, dear readers, is one of those recurrent plights that affects newspaper scribblers like me. You’re delighted to finally speak […] Read more
