The global grain trade has fared better than almost any other business during the global financial crisis. However, international grain industry executives told the Canada Grains Council’s recent annual meeting that regardless of the industry’s soundness, the cold hand of government control is extending again, backed by angry farmers and consumers. “There is a growing […] Read more
Ed White
Stories by Ed White
Wheat neglected as option
A mournful air hung over wheat at the annual meeting of the Canada Grains Council. Regardless of last summer’s sky-high prices and the huge world crop produced in 2008, grain company executives, scientists and farmers repeatedly noted the eclipse of once-King Wheat by corn and soybeans. “Wheat is still a very important crop to western […] Read more
U.S. labelling harm could be short term
Mandatory country-of-origin labelling is now law in the United States. But according to a leading U.S. meat market analyst, it’s a lot less damaging to Canadian pig farmers than it seemed last summer, despite musings by U.S. agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack that the legislation should be broadened. “The secretary of agriculture, when he was governor […] Read more
Food vs. fuel debate not over
It’s not dead, it’s just resting. That was the recent message about the food-versus-fuel debate from a German grain industry expert. “The issue is not going to go away,” said Klaus Schumacher of Toepfer International. “There will be a discussion again whenever prices rise.” He said the effect of biofuel on food prices could easily […] Read more
Good times will come, hog producers told
Most producers are having a hard time seeing a profitable future in hog farming right now. “We’re going through some pretty tough times here,” Manitoba Pork Council chair Karl Kynoch said at the beginning of the organization’s annual meeting. Country-of-origin labelling, high feed grain prices, slumping demand and a provincial government policy make survival challenging, […] Read more
Hog outlook invites optimism
This is going to be a break-even year for most pig producers, a U.S. hog market expert says, but that’s a lot better than last year’s big losses. “I’m an optimist here,” said Steve Meyer of Paragon Economics. “I still think that we’re going to have some reasonably good prices.” Meyer expects farmers lost money […] Read more
Sow meat top quality
A lot of hog farmers think their big, old sows are the source of the mystery meat that forms hot dogs and other low-grade meat products. But that’s a terrible misperception, says Steve Meyer, a leading meat industry economist. According to Meyer, sow meat is a premium meat. “You would never use good big sow […] Read more
Farming in fantasyland
At the Canada Grains Council annual meeting there were a few references to the notion of a World Grain Reserve. It wasn’t seriously discussed and most folks there thought it was a pretty wacky and unimplementable structure. But the fact that it was mentioned at all shows how much the political and economic winds of […] Read more
Ho-hum days in the markets
Thursday was a ho-hum day in the equity markets: the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 3.14 percent and the S&P up not quite four percent. Isn’t that weird? That stock market leaps of more than three percent seem like no big deal? Before last September, you’d only get a handful of days with that big […] Read more
Manitoba towns on flood watch
ST. JEAN BAPTISTE, Man. – To some, living in a low zone that may be flooded a metre deep would cause anxiety, fear and flight. But to the folks working at the Roy Legumex head office, today’s just another day. And this week will probably be just another week. “It’s just part of living here […] Read more
