OTTAWA — Investors are excited about agricultural opportunities identified by the federal government’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth, says the council chair. Dominic Barton, who is also global managing director of the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, said Canada’s agriculture and food sector represents significant untapped economic potential. There is an opportunity for both […] Read more
News
Opportunities abound in ag sector: official
China to boost farmland quality
BEIJING, China (Reuters) — China will expand trials of crop rotation and fallow systems as it upgrades its agricultural industry and looks to protect limited arable land, vice-agriculture minister Yu Xinrong said. China launched trials of the programs last June and will expand them this year to 1.65 million acres for crop rotation and 330,000 […] Read more
Loonie falls on U.S. rate outlook
TORONTO, March 6 (Reuters) —The Canadian dollar fell more than two percent last week, as signs point to interest rate increases in the United States while Canada’s rate holds steady. Last week’s losses for the loonie came as Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen cemented the view that the Fed will raise interest rates at its […] Read more
U.S. ethanol sector pumped over Trump’s energy position
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (CNS Canada) — Building partnerships and growing markets was the theme of the National Ethanol Conference in San Diego, California, and members of the U.S. Renewable Fuels Association believe those goals align well with an increased focus on national security and America First protectionist policies under new U.S. President Donald Trump. The […] Read more
AG Notes
2017 FarmTech award winner Murray Hartman of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry has been awarded a 2017 FarmTech Award for his contributions to Alberta’s crop sector. Hartman currently serves as the provincial oilseed specialist based out of Lacombe and is a proponent of science -based, research-driven agriculture and is also an extension agent. Guide on wind […] Read more
U.S. farmers not living on easy street
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Jay Hill recalls the exact moment he decided he was going to be a farmer. He was a little boy shovelling cat poop out of his tractor tire sandbox on his parent’s 10-acre suburban farm in southern New Mexico and he looked out at the land and decided he wanted to […] Read more
Demand will push commodity prices up, says analyst
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — There are three themes a person needs to know to understand the current state of the global economy, says a commentator on the topic. The first is that China overdid it. “China underwent an investment bubble that has burst,” said Vikram Mansharamani, who topped LinkedIn’s list of 10 Top Voices in […] Read more
U.K. farming delivers value for the dollar
A study commissioned by the National Farmers Union in the United Kingdom has calculated that the country’s agriculture industry provides a return of $12.07 for every $1.63 invested. The study was conducted to highlight the importance of U.K. farming as the nation heads into Brexit negotiations to leave the European Union common market. It marks […] Read more
Women in agriculture
This is the fourth of a four-part series looking at the role women play in agriculture, how it has changed and what the future holds. When Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay announced two women would fill top posts on federal commissions earlier this year, the press release indicated each would serve as “a model to young […] Read more
Chinese willing to pay more for imported pork
China’s import prices have been rising since last year and have even driven up international pork prices. Analysts expect this to continue this year, but Cesar Urias, market access and government programs management director for Canada Pork International, takes a more nuanced approach. Urias said those forecasts may have been reasonable last year, when pork […] Read more
