A few weeks ago, I was having coffee with relatives at my cousins’ farm near Rosthern, Sask. A goodly number of the crew was from Alberta. After discussing the weather, which was top of mind on the farm, and family chatter, what was the next most important topic in the conversational loop? Insects? Diseases? Calgary […] Read more
Tag Archives Ag Finance
Energy battle heats upin Alberta
Real consequences not revealed in the fine print of government documents
In the middle of a tense meeting last week with Canadian Federation of Agriculture directors, senior Agriculture Canada official Greg Meredith got a bit of a break. A clanging fire alarm took precious minutes out of what was supposed to be an hour-long meeting. Meredith, assistant deputy agriculture minister, later joked that he had not […] Read more
Embrace the new normal in agriculture
As the worst drought in a half century persists in the United States Midwest crop region, prices for crops soar. Corn recently increased nearly 50 percent in just six weeks, soybeans for August delivery rose 44.5 cents, and wheat prices reached the highest level since the spring of 2008. Not surprisingly, consumers are concerned about […] Read more
Use pooling or lose it in marketing
T here are four ways you can market your crops: 1) You are a market expert with consistently right market calls and you do all the pricing yourself. Even if you’re not the best at it, you enjoy it and do well enough to stick with it. 2) You employ professional marketers who analyze the […] Read more
Good year in the offing if good numbers continue
Agricultural finance expert David Kohl is bullish on agriculture in his speeches and he has plenty of numbers to support his optimism. First there’s his 50-100-70 theory, developed by one of his Cornell University students, suggesting that by the year 2050, the world will need 100 percent more food, fibre and fuel, and 70 percent […] Read more
Truth behind good deals
[Curtain rises. Day is dawning on the Mitchell household. Let’s listen in.] Hey, kids! There’s something on TV you need to tell Mom and Dad about, right now. So go into their bedroom right now (but make sure they aren’t doing anything funny) and tell them about this cool buffalo coin they can buy, right […] Read more
Ukrainian immigrant recalls life on Saskatchewan prairies
Raising a family, doing chores, milking and haying kept Anna Tryhuba busy and she welcomed the arrival of electricity in the 1950s
Anna’s head was in a whirl. “Now pick something practical, not just pretty”, her mother was telling her.” Anna (Hewko) Tryhuba was in Kerrobert, Sask., to pick out a wedding dress at the general merchant’s. Everything was happening so fast. She and Mike had planned to marry later in the fall but that September, snowfall […] Read moreWild oat nightmare looms, warns expert
ST. ALBERT, Alta. — Herbicide-resistant wild oat will be among prairie farmers’ worst weeds, said a weed researcher. “I am secretly making a prediction that our first major weed here is going to be herbicide resistant wild oat,” said Linda Hall, during a crop walk at the University of Alberta farm north of Edmonton. In […] Read more
Teach children life skills with fun summer activities
For most kids, the first half of summer holidays flies by with family vacations, camp, visitors and time for themselves. The last month of summer is a great time to do fun things that might also include learning opportunities. Educators recognize that children lose some reading and math skills during the summer. Health experts recognize […] Read more
Getting better and better or bigger and bigger?
The debate about whether farms should grow larger or stay at the approximate size they are now has been circulating for years. Understanding the issues and making the proper management decisions on farm size can be complex. Farms increase in size for different reasons. Having the next generation return to the farm drives growth. When […] Read more
