Farmers sure have changed in the past 25 years. Or have I changed in the quarter-century I’ve been covering farmers and farming for The Western Producer? Do the same things just look different to my older, more experienced and physically degraded eyes? It’s probably a bit of both, but looking back over these 25 years […] Read more
Tag Archives economy
Farmers’ attitudes and realities evolve over a quarter-century
(And so does the observer)
Agriculture big contributor to Canada’s economy
WINNIPEG — A new report from Agriculture Canada says agriculture contributed $111.9 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product in 2016, which accounted for 6.7 percent of the country’s total GDP. The annual report, called An Overview of the Canadian Agriculture and AgriFood System released Nov. 10, provides a summary of the economic performance of the […] Read more
Manufacturing quietly powering Sask.
There are three primary ways to generate new wealth in an economy: grow it, extract it or manufacture it. For decades, Saskatchewan has been synonymous with the first two: an agricultural frontier, rich with both fertile ground and an abundance of natural resources from potash to diamonds to uranium. However, softened commodity prices and a […] Read more
Importance of agriculture finally realized
Potash and oil are traditionally huge in the Saskatchewan economy, but if the government relied on them to make budget this year, it would be a sorry situation. The real class among sectors is agriculture. The province’s mid-year report notes that business investment in such things as housing construction is partly fuelling the economy. The […] Read more
Consumer confidence shaky as economic recovery continues
The recession ended three years ago but nobody believes it, says the chief economist of the Conference Board of Canada. The recovery has been moderate but global consumer confidence is shaky and financial risks abound, said Glen Hodgson, senior vice-president of the board. “The world economy is being held back by, frankly, crappy management under […] Read more
