Roberta Rampton

Market watchers were blue over the price prospects of flax after a survey of prairie farmers revealed they plan to seed another record crop this year. They see shades of the early 1990s in price forecasts for oilseeds after Statistics Canada announced last week farmers are looking to flax and canola to again pay the […] Read more

Oat futures prices will rally if the United States shuts out imports of Scandinavian oats with a hefty tariff. But oat market analyst Randy Strychar of Statcom Ltd. said the rally won’t last long. Strychar said futures prices may rally for only three to six months if the tariff is laid. He thinks farmers will […] Read more

Scandinavian oats may be shut out of the United States if the European Union refuses to open its doors to U.S. beef treated with hormones. And that could open the door to some short-term higher oat prices and exports for Canadian growers, say some in the industry. Oats are part of a preliminary list of […] Read more

Changing the point-of-sale guidelines for the Net Income Stabilization Account program would cost governments tens of millions of dollars. According to court documents filed by the federal government, if grain farmers included freight and elevation costs in the net sales figure used to determine NISA contributions, governments would have had to contribute an extra $42 […] Read more

Manitoba farmers may get new ideas for managing manure from four new research projects announced recently. The Manitoba Livestock Manure Management Initiative announced its second round of funding for projects. The initiative has now contributed about $270,000 to manure research in the province, and leveraged another $360,000 from government research sources. The latest projects include: […] Read more

The Manitoba government will spend about 50 percent more on highway construction over the next two years. The provincial budget for road repairs and construction is usually around $100 million per year. But for 1999 and 2000, highways minister Darren Praznik said the government will spend an additional $104 million on new projects. It will […] Read more

A group designed to help rural Manitoba adapt to life without rail transportation subsidies recently announced $806,360 in funding. The Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council is contributing money to the following research projects: Develop frost-resistant, self-pollinating buckwheat so farmers can reduce risk of frost damage in spring and fall, and expand markets for the crop. (Kade […] Read more

Behind the fanfare of state dinners and human rights protests surrounding the visit of Chinese premier Zhu Rongji last week to Canada, agricultural negotiators made progress on some important trade issues. Officials say they arrived at agreements in principle for lower tariffs and higher tariff rate quotas for Canadian agricultural goods. They also signed a […] Read more

Demand for operating credit is up somewhat this spring, but lenders say they can help most farmers looking for larger loans. But next spring may be a different story. “We know ’99 is not going to be a good year for the grain industry,” said Barry Smith, regional manager of agricultural lending for CIBC. “I’m […] Read more

Farmers are entering a period where managing working capital will be critical. With larger farms and falling commodity prices, operating capital positions can change significantly in the space of a year, said Terry Betker, a farm financial consultant with Meyers Norris Penny in Winnipeg. Strategies for preserving working capital include buying insurance, using risk management […] Read more