A technical chart tells a story. It provides a map of what happened and hints about what may come. Canola There were certainly twists and turns to the canola trade in 2024. However, the path meandered in a sideways range and the market never actually went anywhere, finishing 2024 not far from where it started […] Read more
Phil Franz-Warkentin
Stories by Phil Franz-Warkentin
Lower interest rates are good news for farmers
Central banks reduce the cost of borrowing as inflation eases, making it easier to take out a loan and expand operations
Glacier FarmMedia – High interest rates are the hammer used by central banks to temper inflation, and many are now using the claw side of the tool to ease the higher rates of the past few years. The Bank of Canada cut its benchmark overnight rate by 50 basis points on Dec. 12, taking it […] Read more
Improved surveillance needed to combat bird flu spread: World Health Organization
A World Health Organization official called for stronger surveillance of animals to curb the spread of bird flu at a press conference Nov. 28. Increased efforts to reduce transmission to new species was also urged. “What we really need globally, in the U.S. and abroad, is much stronger surveillance in animals, in wild birds, in […] Read more
Agfinity declares bankruptcy
Glacier FarmMedia/MarketsFarm – Agfinity Inc. officially filed for bankruptcy Nov. 25, slightly more than a month since the Alberta grain brokerage shut down operations and laid off employees. The company owes $5.067 million to the 181 creditors listed in bankruptcy filings released Nov. 26. Many of the creditors are farmers who sold grain through Agfinity […] Read more
Agfinity shuttered, new brokerage facing online questions
UPDATED – November 19, 2024 – 1545 CST – Adds comments from Agfinity president Joseph Billett. Glacier FarmMedia – Stuck with a bin of heated canola and few options for marketing the downgraded crop, Barry Kitt of Myrnam, Alta. was happy this past summer when a brokerage found him a decent price. A sale was […] Read more
Canola, wheat harvest estimates slip
Latest Statistics Canada report shows downward revisions in both crops from the August report
Glacier FarmMedia – MarketsFarm – Hot and dry weather saw crop conditions decline across much of Western Canada over the past month, with the latest model-based production estimates from Statistics Canada showing downward revisions in both canola and wheat production from the August report. Canadian canola production for 2024-25 was forecast at 18.98 million tonnes […] Read more
Avian flu spreads to Calif. dairy cows
Glacier FarmMedia – Cows at three dairy farms in California tested positive for H5N1 avian flu at the end of August, marking an expansion of the virus into the largest dairy-producing region of the United States, the state’s agriculture department has announced. More than 190 herds have been infected across the U.S. since March, along […] Read more
Canada labour board ruling opens door for rail workers to be off the job by Aug. 22
Glacier FarmMedia – MarketsFarm — Workers at Canada’s two major railways could be off the job as early as Aug. 22 following a decision by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) issued Aug. 9 on the safety implications of a stoppage. The CIRB ruled that a strike or lockout would not result in a serious […] Read more
Canadian markets ignore weather woes for now
Glacier FarmMedia – Heat and a lack of moisture in parts of Western Canada likely cut into production prospects this year. However, any weather concerns have yet to find their way into the markets, and solid production prospects out of the United States are weighing on values overall. November canola futures hit a contract low […] Read more
Sask. farm show marks another banner year
Ag in Motion sets records for number of exhibitors and product launches as this year’s show doesn’t wilt under the heat
LANGHAM, Sask. — Thousands of attendees braved the mid-July heat for Ag in Motion 2024. Western Canada’s largest outdoor farm show transformed over 100 acres near Langham, Sask., into a small city for three days of demonstrations, discussions and the latest developments in agriculture. “I really like the positive atmosphere that everybody’s brought to the […] Read more
