Apparently, they’re right: the only constant is change.
In the winter of 2005, one of my first stories for the Nipawin Journal was a piece on the price of canola. I had just moved to northeastern Saskatchewan from my hometown of Winnipeg, and I reported on how the oilseed was stuck around $5.50 per bushel and was expected to stay in the tank for many months.
Wheat was at $3 (US) and the lingering BSE crisis was still in the headlines.
Simply put, it was a time to grin and bear it.
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However, in that article a market analyst hinted that the horizon was not all thunderheads and golf ball-sized hail. Farmers in northeastern Saskatchewan and across the Prairies should be hopeful, he said, because a word I had never heard before was going to resurrect the ag industry.
It turned out he was right. Biofuel has changed the entire market landscape, for better or worse, depending on who you ask.
Just as I enjoyed writing that story, I look forward to reporting on the markets, Manitoba producers and agriculture innovation over the next eight months, as I will temporarily replace the Producer’s market maven Ed White, who will be on leave until October.
Although I can’t match Ed’s expertise in commodity market reporting, I have lived in all four western provinces and reported on three rural communities.
As well, I have worked on my uncle’s farm west of Lake Manitoba and he has told me that, as far as he is concerned, John Deere is the best brand on the land.
And like many readers, I’m fascinated by the immense changes in agriculture over the last 36 months and I’m eager to see how issues, events and unanswered questions will affect Canadian agriculture in 2008.
How will protectionist rhetoric in the U.S. presidential election affect agricultural markets and efforts to reduce worldwide subsidies?
Will environmental groups back the biofuel industry or will there be a backlash?
Will western farmers and ag companies take advantage of the good times and strengthen Canada’s competitive position in the world?
How will hog producers survive this crisis and what will the industry look like next year at this time?
What will the Canadian Wheat Board look like next year at this time?
If you have answers to any of these questions, a suggestion for a story or feel certain ag issues are being ignored, please send an e-mail to robert.arnason@producer.com.
I look forward to your opinions, ideas and feedback.
