You’d have to have rocks in your head to build a new sow barn with gestating sow stalls. That conclusion has seemed pretty obvious to me for a couple of years, but now it should be obvious to everybody after the recent flurry of fast food and grocery retailer announcements that they might re-quire stall-free […] Read more
Tag Archives Ag Finance
Consider risks involved in building sow stall barn
NDP leader’s oilsand stance ignores history
It may have been a rhetorical question, but western Canadian farmers did not care. When prime minister Pierre Trudeau asked protesting farmers in Saskatoon, “why should I sell your wheat?” in 1969, he obliterated the Liberal vote in rural Western Canada. In farmers’ view, that question simply illustrated Trudeau’s arrogance and lack of understanding of […] Read more
Bad farm loans are often made in good times
Are the good times really here? I recently gave a presentation on that topic to a group of farm lenders at a meeting in Alberta. Of course, they already knew the answer. What everyone really wants to know is if the good times will last. These are definitely good times for grain and oilseed producers. […] Read more
Constitutional right to collective bargaining appears to be a fantasy
They would never state it so bluntly but this appears to be the Conservative government position on the unionized worker’s right to collective bargaining: You workers may exercise your constitutional right to bargain for a better or even a standstill contract only so long as it does not affect anyone. The moment you attempt to […] Read more
CPR’s troubles go deeper than current labour dispute
Canadian Pacific Railway is making its share of news lately, not the least of which is the pension battle with one of its largest unions. Teamsters union members walked off the job because they are worried about their futures, while the company is determined to “achieve changes to legacy pension and post-retirement benefits to make […] Read more
Conservatives increase agricultural spending
The federal government has indicated it will add more than $200 million to earlier estimates for agricultural spending, less than two months into the 2012-13 fiscal year. The new spending plans tabled in Parliament include almost $27 million to fund the Canadian Grain Commission. The government plans to increase CGC user fees, but until new […] Read more
Markets anxious as China slows soybean and pork buying
Unpredictable demand Beijing struggles to manage huge economy, pork prices drop 15 percent
Reports of Chinese buyers backing away from new purchases have spooked world markets for pork, corn and soybeans, which rely on assumptions of continuing heavy purchases from the growing nation. A number of news agencies report that Chinese oilseed crushers have cut production because of losses. Soybean prices have recently fallen, but so too have […] Read moreFeds appeal ‘rule of law’ in Ottawa courtroom
Decision reserved | Former CWB directors could wait several more months for judges’ final call
The issue for Alberta farmer Allen Oberg was simple as Conservative legislation to end the CWB monopoly moved to the Federal Court of Appeal last week. As he sat in the downtown Ottawa courtroom during the May 23 hearing, the issue was not the validity of federal legislation that will end the CWB single desk, […] Read moreOat price fall illustrates importance of liquidity
Oat futures fell hard last week, illustrating the problems of a market that suffers from inadequate liquidity. Feeds in general fell, with corn futures falling nine percent between the closes of May 18 and May 25. But oats fell harder, dropping 13 percent. Corn and oat prices are closely linked because they are both feeds, […] Read more
Alta. farmers boost processing potato acres
Exports to United States | U.S. french fry exports are increasing and ‘with their growth, comes our growth,’ says PGA official
An additional 2,000 acres have been contracted for fry processing potatoes in Alberta following increased demand from processors, says the executive director of Potato Growers of Alberta. The additional acres will bring production up to 40,000 for 2012, which Edzo Kok said is a record. Total acreage in the province, when seed and fresh potatoes […] Read more
