Taxes are an important element of estate planning. When it comes to taxes farmers do get some breaks, from both federal and provincial governments, says David Metzger, senior principal at KPMG in Abbotsford, B.C. However, he adds that producers must be aware of certain rules regarding eligibility for those breaks. Some taxes vary between provinces. […] Read more
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How to survive the big split
Although about 40 percent of Canadian marriages end in divorce, no one goes into marriage planning for that particular plot twist. Nobody wakes up one morning and says, “It’s Tuesday; I think I’ll get a divorce.” Nevertheless, divorce happens. It will have an emotional and financial impact and, if you’re a farmer, it will include […] Read more
You can’t take it with you — but do you know how much you’ll need while you’re here?
According to JPMorgan Asset Management’s 2016 Guide to Retirement, someone age 40 with an annual household income of $100,000 should have 2.6 times that amount put away for retirement, and by age 60, that multiple should be 7.3. Fidelity Investments calculate that at age 30, investors should have the equivalent of a year’s income stashed […] Read more
Urban foodies sniff and learn at manure demo
Wrinkled noses and stunned looks washed across the faces of urban foodies when Marla Riekman and Don Flaten removed the lids and showed them what liquid and solid pig and dairy cow manure looks — and smells — like. It wasn’t simulated manure — it was the real pooped-out stuff, collected just so the food […] Read more
Strength, stamina and skill meet shears
WILSON SIDING, Alta. — It takes a special kind of crazy to enjoy sheep shearing. That’s what Allison Preston says, anyway. The 26-year-old lives on a sheep operation near Hays, Alta., where the family has a flock of 800. In a few days, she and her brother and father will shear 200 of those sheep, […] Read more
China inspires economic envy
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The ex-traordinary transformation of the Chinese economy has the world agog. For companies like Alltech, which manufactures feed ingredients and additives, the agriculture revolution is equally exciting. The company has been in China for 25 years and observed the growth of a youthful urban middle class as well as changes on farms. […] Read more
Historical finds can be reported
PINCHER CREEK, Alta. — An arrowhead, bison skull or circle of stones that could be a teepee ring: such findings are not uncommon on Alberta farms and ranches. Wendy Unfreed, regional archeologist with the Archeological Survey of Alberta, told the Southern Alberta Land Trust Society meeting March 29 that numerous archeological finds were exposed during […] Read more
Trusts can play key role in farm estate planning
Although trusts will not be of use to all producers, they will meet the needs of some, says Joel Bokenfohr, manager for business structures and financial policy with Alberta Agriculture and Colin Miller, developer of trusts in farm transition planning. A trust is a relationship between parties with interconnected rights and obligations. These parties include […] Read more
Farm groups positive about glyphosate report, but some concerns raised
For Cam Dahl, the key message to Canadians about glyphosate residues is simple: the system works and food is safe. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency published a summary last week based on two years of testing food for glyphosate residues. The CFIA found that 1.3 percent of 3,188 food samples exceeded the maximum residue limits. […] Read more
Argentina plans railways to expand agriculture in north
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Reuters) — The lack of a rail system to haul grain from Argentina’s next farm frontier in the far north costs the country millions of tonnes of soybean, corn and wheat production every year, prodding the government to jump-start infrastructure projects. Earlier this month, Argentina awarded contracts to lay 416 kilo-metres of […] Read more
