Wade Berlinic constantly receives calls from investors and farmers looking to buy farmland in Saskatchewan. “We have an ag group here and each of us is hearing from somebody new every week that we’ve never heard from before,” said Berlinic, agriculture division director with ReMax in Yorkton, Sask. “Frankly, we cannot get enough good, quality […] Read more
Robert Arnason
Stories by Robert Arnason
Nebraska sees ‘jaw-dropping increase’ in cropland values
Cropland may be selling for $1,500 or more per acre in parts of Saskatchewan, but land remains cheap in the province compared to Nebraska. Land prices are creeping up to $10,000 US per acre in that state. The Omaha branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City stunned observers when it released its cropland […] Read more
Man. cattle processing expansion fund nixed
When she stepped up to the microphone at the Manitoba Beef Producers annual meeting in Brandon Nov. 5, it was evident that Gaylene Dutchyshen was irritated and disappointed. In a wavering voice, Dutchyshen, a cattle producer from Gilbert Plains, Man., said she couldn’t believe that 24 Manitoba farmers could shoot down an opportunity to build […] Read more
Beef group to introduce bankruptcy insurance
Manitoba Beef Producers narrowly passed a resolution at its recent annual meeting in Brandon to develop an insurance fund to protect farmers if a cattle dealer goes bankrupt. The insurance initiative came in response to the case of G &M Livestock, which shipped Canadian cattle to slaughter plants in the United States. Cattle producers in […] Read more
Wind project faces turbulence
FORREST, Man. — With his body at 30 degrees from vertical, Dan Mazier leaned and pushed a rotating auger into the ground as he and two others drilled an anchor into the soil. Mazier’s exertion wasn’t part of a construction project. Instead, they were drilling the anchor into the soil so that they could take […] Read more
Weather station network expands in Canada
An American company that operates weather stations around the globe is planning to double the size of its network in Canada. Earth Networks of Maryland announced today that it will deploy 1,000 additional weather stations in Canada over the next three years. The company, which provides data for the Canadian Wheat Board’s WeatherFarm website, already […] Read more
Diesel price tops gasoline
It’s hard to imagine that a modest molecule of carbon and hydrogen can be sexy, but diesel is one of the sexiest investments on the planet at the moment, says an American petroleum analyst. “Everybody right now, if you talk to all the investment bankers and traders, they’ll tell you, ‘we love diesel, diesel is […] Read more
Fertilizer prices may rise by spring
An Alberta government researcher believes fertilizer prices could creep higher by next spring if commodity prices remain strong. “If (fertilizer) prices are going to go up, they probably are going to be up there for a little while … as long as the market will bear it,” said Ross McKenzie, an agronomy research scientist with […] Read more
Second flood channel planned: ag minister
A $100 million channel designed to reduce record water levels on Lake Manitoba is nearly finished, but many ranchers and residents with property around the lake remain frustrated. They want the province to build a second outlet at the north end of the lake. “The feeling in the country, by the people affected by the […] Read more
Auto sector denies blame for trade delay
The Canadian auto industry says it is not to blame for holding up a free trade deal with South Korea. Pressure has been increasing on the federal government to resume negotiations with the Asian country now that the United States has ratified a similar deal. The red meat sector is particularly anxious to see resumption […] Read more
