It’s difficult to know if the weather pattern has changed, but some of the parched regions of Western Canada finally received a bit of rain. Unfortunately, over a big chunk of Saskatchewan, a full drought recovery is no longer possible. While crop conditions vary dramatically from one localized area to another and even one field […] Read more
Author Archives
Steps to de-risk agriculture have side-effects
In times of dropping farm incomes, the natural tendency for farmers and farm groups is to call for government assistance. What many fail to realize is that de-risking agriculture is not simple and it can have unintended side-effects. Ask any group of grain farmers about the problems they face and the list will likely include […] Read more
Drought becomes top-of-mind issue for farmers
It’s an awful start to the growing season. Western Canada is on the brink of a major crop failure and a severe feed shortage. Miraculous turnarounds have occurred in past years and it’s amazing how much can sometimes be produced with very little rain, but the situation is quickly becoming serious. It’s not rare to […] Read more
Farming without glyphosate forms future
Our heavy reliance on glyphosate is going to change. Exactly how this is going to play out is anyone’s guess, but with the tidal wave of lawsuits alleging cancer from Roundup herbicide the status quo is not sustainable. When the first lawsuits were launched in the United States, many observers expected them to be defeated. […] Read more
New down cycle will be felt across the board
The challenges from a tightening grain sector economy are obvious, but cycles and shifting mentalities also bring opportunities. More than 10 years ago, the confluence of increasing demand from both India and China along with the boom in American ethanol production propelled the grain industry to one of its greatest prolonged periods of prosperity. Now […] Read more
Farmers should consider expectation adjustment
Nothing goes up forever. If the grain sector has a downward correction in profitability or even if we plunge into big losses, it shouldn’t really be a surprise. The only surprise is that the relatively good times lasted so long. Lots of the blame for the current uncertainty and disappointing prices for most grains, oilseeds […] Read more
Big farms choose new tech to fix labour issues
If it can be automated, it will be automated. Farmers and other entrepreneurs continue to opt for more technology and larger-scale operations rather than deal with employees. Recently, I hired a company to install eavestroughs on a pole shed used for machinery storage. I was surprised when a one-person operation arrived at the farm. Rather […] Read more
Canadian canola becomes political football
The chorus is ramping up. The federal government is under increasing pressure to take action on the canola issue. China seems in no mood to open its doors to Canadian canola. Apparently, it won’t even allow a Canadian delegation into the country to talk about the situation. You can perhaps blame the Trudeau government for […] Read more
Easter Sunday, not my seeding fun day
I’m not normally superstitious and I’m not very religious, but we had an awful first day of seeding on Easter Sunday. There are typically kinks to work out with equipment on the first day you hit the field, but we worked liked dogs all day to accomplish nothing. The problem was the seed cart. Despite […] Read more
AgriStability could play important role this year
If you’re a producer not enrolled in AgriStability, you’re probably in the majority. But just because you have lots of company doesn’t necessarily make it the right decision. Yes, your margin has to take a big hit before you trigger AgriStability money, but it can and does happen. And what about the uncertainty over canola […] Read more
