Pike writes from Waseca, Sask. Nearly every newspaper I picked up in mid-January had tucked inside A Report on Bruce Powers Feasibility Study. Feasibility study, my left foot. It was practically a motherhood and saskatoon pie manual put together by an Ontario company wanting to make a lot of money while pretending to be the […] Read more
Opinion — page 688
Feasibility report viewed with skepticism – Opinion
Home is where the money is – Money In Your Pocket
The Canadian real estate market hasn’t tumbled as much as it has in the United States, but it is hard not to be affected by the doom and gloom. Perhaps sensing this, our federal government used its most recent budget to announce new and improved measures to help home owners and the construction industry. First-time […] Read more
Be ready to launch WTO trade action – WP editorial
CANADA’S World Trade Organization challenge of American country-of-origin labelling legislation is idling at the curb, waiting to be driven. That is more or less the way federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz described the status of the challenge Canada filed last year and then put on hold after early January changes partially addressed Canadian concerns. The […] Read more
CFA sometimes a tough crowd for ag ministers – Opinion
IT WAS A remarkable moment in covering the Canadian Federation of Agriculture meeting in Ottawa where federal ministers feel obligated to appear to explain themselves, defend themselves, take abuse. Almost a decade ago, a clearly tired, stressed and nervous Liberal minister Lyle Vanclief showed up to announce that he had convinced cabinet to spend an […] Read more
Look askance at market signals – Opinion
Beckham is a farmer who writes from Winnipeg. We live in an age of information. Millions are employed in the information technology field. Television channels, radio stations, books, newspapers and the big one, internet, spew out tons of information every single day. But information is only as good as the person or organization dispensing it. […] Read more
Life in the markets
The deathwatch of the markets has been cancelled today with a cross-market rally taking everything up. Even that sad sack commodity of oats. For people who still hold equities, it’s been an appalling last few days to watch the Dow Jones Industrial Average fall well below 7,000. That’s below the November 20 low. It’s been […] Read more
Bounce or fall?
A lot of eyes today are on the CRB Index, which tracks the major world commodities. If it falls through 200, then a lot of people are going to be scared about the overall commodity outlook. If it bounces off of 200 and moves higher, then people will feel a little bit better about the […] Read more
Cycling through farming
The other day after giving a presentation at a market outlook conference in Vermilion, Alberta I was wondering if my approach of looking at market history and long term market price patterns resonated with farmers. It’s always hard to tell what a crowd is thinking about what you’re saying, and I realize my approach to […] Read more
Standoffs, staredowns and contrarian bets
I talked to a producer yesterday who has assess the markets and reports of grower intentions and plans to plant more acres of peas and barley on his farm this spring. He hasn’t grown peas for more than a decade. This may sound crazy, because at dozens of market outlook meetings this winter and in […] Read more
Risk review needed on CWB program – WP editorial
THE GRAIN market last year exhibited volatility rarely, if ever, seen. The market moved more on some days than it did in entire years previously. Grain markets are calmer today, but with stocks-to-use ratios still uncomfortably tight and potential for another round of commodity price inflation once global economies recover, volatility could again sweep markets. […] Read more
