Glacier FarmMedia – If Ontario beef producers feel they are getting squeezed into losses despite high beef prices, new analysis indicates they could be right. But it isn’t the grocery retailers who are gobbling up the profits, analyst Kevin Grier’s work suggests. Both ends of the beef supply chain are getting squeezed hard, while the […] Read more
Beef producers squeezed while packers profit: new study
Farmer share of retail prices falls to 39 from 41 per cent, retailers drop to two from eight and packers rise to 59 from 51
How to manage high crop prices and higher interest rates
Good prices and even average crop yields should equate to profits for farmers
Glacier FarmMedia – With any luck, farmers will be blessed with average weather and normal field conditions this year. If prices and demand hold up, farmers don’t need more than an average crop to reap a great return. And if they are so blessed, they’ll have some pleasant but tough decisions about where to put […] Read more
China’s food goal questioned
Despite the country’s desire to be self-sufficient in agriculture, expert says it won’t happen
Glacier FarmMedia – Chinese President Xi Jinping might want to be independent of foreign food imports, but it will likely never be, says a noted China expert. “It will be very hard for him to realize, especially in the agricultural arena, where China has such a small percentage of arable land,” said Elizabeth Economy, a […] Read more
Producers drive land value market, realtors say
Non-farm investors tend to purchase farm land when crop margins are thin and farmers can’t pay a premium
Glacier FarmMedia – Farmers cause farmland prices to rise but non-farmer investors stop land values from falling too much, say two real estate professionals based in the U.S. Midwest. “Farmers drive the market,” said Howard Halderman, president of Halderman Farm Management Service of Wabash, Indiana. “I tend to think it’s farmers paying the highest prices.” […] Read more
Corn growers urged to focus on profit rather than yields
Striving for the most efficient nitrogen use and planting rates is seen as wiser than pushing for ‘that last bushel or two’
Glacier FarmMedia – Corn seed is expensive. Nitrogen is now expensive. Those facts should goad producers to take a careful look at corn planting and nitrogen rates, says a Purdue University corn specialist. “It’s managing for maximum return instead of managing for maximum yield,” said Daniel Quinn during Purdue’s January Top Farmer Conference. Why it […] Read more
Alarm grows over EU’s ‘farm to fork’ policy
Exporters worried the bloc will keep out food not produced under its regime
Glacier FarmMedia – Europe’s attempts to impose its approach to agriculture on the world are a threat to other leading agricultural powers, says a leading American trade expert. The “farm to fork” policy of the European Union could push restrictive EU regulations onto anybody hoping to export agricultural goods into the vast market. “I’m frustrated […] Read more
Exporters rejoice as Canada launches ASEAN trade negotiations
Southeast Asia is the fastest growing economy in the world, and offers increased export opportunities
Glacier FarmMedia – Canada’s export-oriented agriculture organizations were quick to cheer Canada’s announcement of trade deal negotiations with the Association of South East Asian Nations trading bloc. “As a market of over 640 million people with a (gross domestic product) of $3.6 trillion, Canadian agri-food exporters see huge potential in the fast growing and dynamic […] Read more
Maple Leaf hits sow stall phase out ahead of schedule
Company expects to have stalls removed by end of 2021
Glacier FarmMedia – Gestation stalls will be gone from Maple Leaf Foods’ barns by the end of December. Maple Leaf, which produces about 40 per cent of the pigs it uses in its company-branded meat, says its pregnant sows will all live in open housing systems it has been incorporating since the mid-2010s. Why it […] Read more
Comment: Interprovincial trade barriers like ‘hidden GST’
Easing trade barriers domestically would be beneficial to industry
Glacier FarmMedia – We spend a lot of time complaining about foreign trade barriers and defending our own barriers to foreign imports. But maybe there’s a closer way to liberalize agriculture trade. “It almost feels like we’ve forgotten to take care of business here at home,” said Jared Carlberg, a University of Manitoba agricultural economist […] Read more
Chinese trade practices still a concern for U.S.
U.S. Trade Representative says former administration’s policies will remain in place but also vows to apply more pressure
Glacier FarmMedia – The United States plans to keep pressure on China to conform to world trading standards. However, in an Oct. 4 speech, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai offered few details on how she thinks China can be forced to change. “It is increasingly clear China’s plans do not include meaningful reforms to address […] Read more
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