Initial payments on all classes and grades of 2011-12 wheat and durum are rising. The CWB last week received approval from the federal government to make the increases. Wheat rises $28 per tonne and durum climbs $44 per tonne. The increase will take No. 1 CW red spring wheat, 12.5 percent protein, to $252.35 at […] Read more
Tag Archives Ag Finance
Wheat, durum payments rise
The fine balance between financial risk and reward
Discipline needed Farmers investing in land and machinery face financial risk if ag commodities fall
Lots of people think farming is a great place to invest these days. That might be true, but Virginia Tech farm finance expert David Kohl warns farmers that that’s how millions of people looked at Facebook just a few weeks ago. “It’s called buying into the hype,” Kohl said. The social media company’s shares opened […] Read moreYouth gain confidence in agriculture through participation in 4-H clubs
For many rural youth, 4-H projects provide confidence to pursue a future in agriculture. Canada’s largest event, 4-H on Parade, brings together clubs from across the Calgary region to display their best livestock, life skills projects and compete in judging skills. Held from May 31 to June 2, the event wraps up with the annual […] Read more
Barry Wilson’s work worth honouring
We had to keep it a secret. Had we told Barry Wilson that we were nominating him for induction into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame, he probably would have found some way to stop us. Our Ottawa correspondent is a humble person, who views his role, as all the best journalists do, as a […] Read more
Weather forecasts both valuable and useless
Environment Canada’s short-range weather forecasting seems to have become considerably more accurate in the past two years. When a forecast says there will be 10 to 20 millimetres of rain on Tuesday, there’s no use planning to be in the field that day. Fewer people are working at Environment Canada after government cuts, so perhaps […] Read more
Latest report on Arab Spring revolts reaffirms food security as spark
Sometimes, it takes new events to reinforce an old truth: adequate and affordable food is a necessary base for any functioning society. All those academics and consumers and politicians who take today’s abundance of food in Canada for granted should reflect on this truism that has been a key precept of political understanding for millennia. […] Read more
Farm numbers dip, but organic farms up: Statistics Canada
According to the Report on Agriculture, released by Statistics Canada in May 2012, the number of certified organic operations has continued to grow across Canada. Organic farms numbered 3,713 in 2011, which was 1.8 percent of Canadian farm operations overall. This is up from 1.5 percent in 2006 and 0.9 percent in 2001. Growth in […] Read more
Blaming climate changeon agriculture unjustified
Another year, another United Nations conference on climate change. It seems that nations gather about every year to try to develop a consensus, or at least a starting point, to address the major problems of the world. Earth Summit 2012, scheduled for June 20-22, plans to address a lot more than climate change, but make […] Read more
Sask. auditor wants more on-site pipeline inspections
The provincial auditor says the Sask-atchewan government should do more to ensure pipelines are safe and not putting the environment at risk. In her report released June 7, Bonnie Lysyk said the ministry of energy and resources doesn’t have adequate processes in place to ensure full compliance with its pipelines legislation and regulations. “The increasing […] Read more
Facility to test food vendors’ products
Small business owners and farmers’ market vendors who want to take the next step in food processing and business development will have the opportunity at a new food sciences training facility. By next fall, Portage College’s St. Paul, Alta., campus will open its Food Processing/Food Sciences Training Facility to help establish a local food industry […] Read more
