A carbon offset system is unlikely to be as easy as getting gobs of money for the minimum tillage you have already been doing. For years now, decades really, farmers have been told about the carbon sequestering power of minimum tillage. Now, with a rising price on carbon emissions, do some basic math and it […] Read more
Author Archives
Variety of factors complicate seeding these days
Every year, the rush to spring seeding has new wrinkles and complications. That’s certainly the case with the 2021 seeding season just weeks away. With plant breeders’ rights protection increasingly prevalent, accessing new varieties isn’t as simple or as inexpensive as it used to be. As for cleaning farm-saved seed, there are many proficient seed […] Read more
Farm groups line up behind the feds in AgriStability
The three prairie provincial governments each enjoy a great deal of farmer support. The same cannot be said for the federal Liberal government. And yet, the situation is completely reversed when you consider the ongoing stalemate over AgriStability enhancements. Farm groups far and wide are calling on the provinces to accept the federal offer on […] Read more
Farmland continues to be a great investment
It’s not quite like the 2011-15 timespan when farmland prices increased by 10 to 20 percent annually, but land prices continued to rise in 2020. Considering the grain price outlook for 2021, values should continue to boom. Farm Credit Canada is reporting average farmland prices last year increased six percent in Alberta, 5.4 percent in […] Read more
Get price protection with your crop insurance
Significant differences exist between the crop insurance programs offered in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. One of the major differences comes in how each province handles insured crop prices. While they all rely on crop price estimates issued by Agriculture Canada, Manitoba announces its program details earlier than the other two and therefore uses an earlier […] Read more
Canada must find an answer to the China problem
Got to love China for all the products they buy from us. At the same time, got to deplore China for their human rights record. As Canadians, we need to figure out how we’re going to reconcile economics with morality. The Conservative opposition in Ottawa scored a big political win against the governing Liberals with […] Read more
Post-pandemic tax increases considered likely
By the end of this year, if the worldwide vaccination rollout proceeds on schedule, economies should start to emerge from the crippling effects of the pandemic. Unfortunately, the ongoing economic fallout is difficult to predict. Runaway inflation? Surging interest rates? Wild fluctuations in currency values? Economists seem to have no better clues than usual, but […] Read more
Issues persist despite record grain movement
Yes, the railways have continued to set grain movement records month by month, and yes it’s a welcome change from last year when a railway strike, derailments and illegal blockades created yet another grain transportation nightmare. Yes, both major railways continue to make large investments in infrastructure and rolling stock. New hopper cars are shorter […] Read more
Current grain rally has ramifications; be prepared
The seismic shift in grain prices over the past few months has wide-ranging ramifications, some of which we’re already seeing and others that are likely to materialize. While many factors have combined to generate the rapid rise in fertilizer prices, strong grain prices are front and centre. When corn, canola and wheat prices all increase […] Read more
Decisions to be made as battle looms over acres
A monumental acreage battle is shaping up for this spring. Viewed in isolation, most grains, oilseeds and specialty crops appear to be a good bet for profitability and therefore an acreage increase, but there are only so many acres to go around. The Market Analysis Group of Agriculture Canada has taken a stab at predicting […] Read more
