It’s sad to see how profoundly the world’s trade demons have come to haunt the minds of western Canadian farmers. When three farmers on a panel at Ag in Motion were asked about their main considerations when selecting a new crop variety to try, all three included “market acceptance” on their short list. Wow! Besides […] Read more
Ed White
Stories by Ed White
Rib-eye or ribs: just push this button
RUSSELL, Man. — Today the machine is working fine. “I’m the tech,” notes Arron Nerbas, a Shellmouth cattle producer who has just opened an automated retail beef storefront on the main street of this town. “It’s great … if it all works as it should.” Nerbas’ venture with retail beef is a way of adding […] Read more
VP candidate knows Canada
Canada might have a friendly neighbour and supporter of international trade beside Kamala Harris, if she wins the U.S. presidential election in November. Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor who Harris named as her vice-presidential pick, has been a pro-trade supporter of agriculture, says Tim Dufault, a board member of the Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion […] Read more
CAFTA suggests ‘guardrails’ to protect trade principles
Rules are needed about who gets to make the rules on trade and sustainability, says the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance. “These would be the guardrails,” said CAFTA president Greg Northey about the organization’s “Principles for Sustainable and Fair Trade in Agri-Food Sector,” which it released Aug. 6. CAFTA and other exporting nations are worried by […] Read more
Holding on to barley stocks called risky move
Ending stocks are low and likely to go lower, but it’s not expected to push prices back to where they were in recent years
Western feedgrain prices are good by historical measures, but it might not feel that way after recent years, says Jim Beusekom of Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge. “We got used to … some pretty lofty prices. Now we’re returning to some prices that are actually still higher than (they were) in 2019,” said Beusekom. “We […] Read more
Can farmers fool markets with bogus yield estimates?
An entertaining part of being an agricultural journalist is trying to figure out how the crops are doing. If you ask a farmer, the traditional answer is: “Who’s asking? You or Statistics Canada?” It’s a humorous recognition that farmers don’t like to provide an accurate assessment to the federal crop surveyors. Why? Many think that […] Read more
Trump trade threats a global concern
Importers and exporters around the world are uneasily analyzing what a 10 per cent tariff, or other border measures likely in a second Donald Trump U.S. presidential term, could mean for trade. “Europeans are deeply concerned,” said Brussels, Belgium-based U.S. consultant and canola trade expert Angela Dansby. “Trump has made steps toward all the threats […] Read more
Major U.S. research project conducted in southern Sask.
South East Research Farm conducts cover crop trials for Pepsico and the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research
REDVERS, Sask. — If research is going to be ground-truthed to make sure it applies to the real world of farming, it needs to be truthed on the kind of ground farmers actually farm. That was probably one of the keys to the South East Research Farm (SERF) landing a major research contract from food […] Read more
Research centre in southern Sask. can do it all
A land base that mimics farming reality allows the South East Research Farm to conduct trials in a variety of conditions
REDVERS, Sask.— The South East Research Farm didn’t locate itself on the most easily farmable land. There are potholes and sloughs and saline patches. The land is undulating and rolling, unlike the stereotypical image of pancake-flat Saskatchewan farmland. Related story: Major U.S. research project conducted in southern Sask. That’s given it a unique set of […] Read more
VIDEO: ‘Outside markets’ weigh on ag prices
Interest rates, crude oil prices, investment flows and global trade disruptions can influence crop and livestock markets
When broker David Derwin heard Donald Trump twice invoke “drill baby, drill” in his acceptance speech at the Republican national convention, he worried about what that might mean for western Canadian farmers. “Given the growing influence of oil on renewable fuels and therefore oilseeds, ‘drill, baby, drill’ is not supportive of canola,” said Derwin, a […] Read more
