OLDS, Alta. — Forage and hay producers who are looking to sell product should pay attention to Alberta’s horse industry, says Les Burwash, a horse industry specialist with Alberta Agriculture. There are 200,000 to 250,000 horses in Alberta, and most of their owners buy hay rather than grow it. In fact, Burwash said the horse […] Read more
Tag Archives Marketing — page 2
Calculating wheat basis may require some homework
Tyler Russell saw something he didn’t like when he looked out at the crowd of farmers he was talking to about wheat basis levels. “You could just tell there was confusion,” Russell, who is manager of Cargill Canada’s network of crop marketing advisers and farmer risk management, said about meetings he held with farmers last […] Read more
Beef growth comes from new markets
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The U.S. beef industry has made a remarkable 10 year turnaround in global markets. Last year it exported $7.13 billion worth of beef to 100 countries, which was a 16 percent increase over the 2013 record. “The fact that the demand for beef internationally is a double digit figure is significant,” […] Read more
Cattle industry buoyed by check-off dollars
The Aug. 31 deadline to file for a cattle marketing levy refund has passed for another year in Saskatchewan. It may tempting to get that money back, especially when a producer organization may stand for things that are counter to your beliefs. However, fully appreciating the value of the cattle checkoff requires reflection on each […] Read more
Farmers advised to shop crop around
Prices changing daily | Delivery opportunities can pop up one day and close the same day
BRANDON — Get marketing but also get shopping, adviser Brenda Tjaden Lepp of FarmLink Marketing Solutions told farmers at Manitoba Ag Days. There’s no reason to hold back from moving old crop and contracting delivery for new crop, but farmers shouldn’t just take whatever bid their usual buyer is offering. “You’ve got to shop around […] Read more
Shortages seen despite bumper crop
Railway congestion | Extreme price spreads are the result of supply and demand challenges
For once, outrageous basis levels are nailing farmers and grain companies at the same time. Prairie farmers are paying big negative basis levels when they deliver grain to elevators, but some of those companies are having to pay huge positive basis levels to buy spring wheat for customers that they can’t supply. “It’s crazy,” Austin […] Read moreFarmers learn to tweet, blog to promote business
More than 100 farmers and ranchers gathered at a hotel in downtown Kansas City in late August for two days of workshops and speeches. However, the producers didn’t travel to western Missouri to hear about the agronomics or economics of agriculture. They were there to learn about blogging, Twitter and Facebook. The producers attended the […] Read more
The new clout of social media
Digital marketing matters | People discuss products, share opinions through Twitter, Facebook
Kelly Daynard didn’t understand the value or relevance of Twitter when it first exploded into popular culture, but that all changed three years ago when she watched an episode of Oprah. In her role as communications manager for Farm & Food Care Ontario, which has the mandate of providing credible agricultural information, Daynard monitors food […] Read moreWelcome to a new era of marketing freedom
Somehow I just couldn’t share the Aug. 1 euphoria. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not among the crowd who thinks the sky is falling with the ending of the CWB monopoly. The old system had a lot of problems. However, marketing freedom won’t always be a bed of roses either. Friends texting me from the […] Read more
Despite offers, CWB isn’t for sale, says Ritz
The federal government is not interested in selling the CWB, at least not yet. But that doesn’t mean that Ottawa hasn’t received any offers. Federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz said a number of companies have already expressed interest in acquiring the assets of the former Canadian Wheat Board. “We’ve already had a couple of entities […] Read more
