What’s a reasonable price for canola this year? That’s a question market analyst Greg Kostal pondered during a presentation to the Manitoba Canola Growers Association during Manitoba Ag Days yesterday. His answer: about nine dollars per bushel, unless something radically changes the world supply and demand situation. Kostal said he thinks canola futures prices will […] Read more
Opinion — page 695
Reasonable price for canola
Rebound, and what’s normal?
The main crop futures have conveniently rebounded from early last week’s selloff. Some crops have had a couple of good days and show signs of having turned a corner on the charts for what could be another leg higher. On Friday corn at the Chicago Board of Trade closed up 25 cents to $3.91, soybeans were up 25 […] Read more
The mighty Canuckbuck
There’s a superhero who can make your crops instantly worth more money!!!!! He’s Canuckbuck, and in the last few weeks he’s added about $25 per tonne to the value of a tonne of canola. The efforts of Canuckbuck have obscured a different market phenomenon, one that is not as good for farmers: “Canola has lagged […] Read more
Grab the bull, then run for cover
Crop prices might drop a little lower. Then we’ll move a bit higher. Then we’ll take quite a drop lower. Then we’ll spend a lot of time getting a bunch higher. Then we’ll fall off the cliff again. How’s that for a forecast of crop prices for the next couple of years? That’s a way […] Read more
What moral values will guide the future? – The Moral Economy
AT THE END of January, Canada’s Parliament will reconvene and the federal government will introduce a new budget. Everyone expects this budget to represent a change in course with a plan to stimulate the economy through tax cuts, infrastructure spending and deficit financing. This represents the new consensus strategy in the world’s largest economies but […] Read more
Letters to the editor
Unfair election; Just fantasy; Confused priorities; Bad times?; Enjoys WP; Cold weather Unfair election According to some readers, the Canadian Wheat Board election wasn’t fair. Only an acre-based vote would have given farmers who make a living with farming more say in it. But the whole election is irrelevant anyway as it is impertinent not […] Read more
Thanks for your letters
Many people enriched the pages of The Western Producer in 2008 by writing letters to the editor. We thank all of them for providing their comments and opinions, which allow this paper to present a diversity of views and keep all of us in touch with prairie farm opinion. The names of all whose letters […] Read more
Vaccines a good investment in farm dog health – Animal Health
Dogs are valuable members of the workforce at many livestock operations and their only pay is good food and occasional praise. Many feedlot operators believe a cattle dog can do the work of at least one full-time employee and some dogs have even saved a cow-calf operator in the spring from an overprotective cow. Because […] Read more
What is your weakest link? – The Bottom Line
As a farmer, it’s natural to look at the retail price of a steak or a loaf of bread and think, “someone’s making a lot of money on this, but it’s sure not me.” This isn’t a complaint you’ll hear from the Price brothers. The brothers, five farm boys from Acme, Alta., are involved in […] Read more
Diaries of a Global Farmer from January 15, 2009
Jan. 12: Schleitheim, Switzerland. Sun streams through the big windows of our little apartment and upon the roses from Robert’s parents that sit on the antique table before me. Outside the snow almost blinds my eyes. We landed to blowing snow, almost like what we left in Edmonton, except that it’s not as cold here […] Read more
