Glacier FarmMedia – As the world talks about trying to build back better and the post-COVID world, Canada should get in front by making a free trade deal with Southeast Asia. Why it matters: Canada must seek trade agreements with like-minded nations to help offset protectionist sentiments in key markets such as the United States, […] Read more
Canada urged to strike trade deal with ASEAN
‘Middle power’ countries encouraged to double down on free trade promotion and the international rules-based order
Low interest rates present producers with opportunities
Central banks have indicated that they expect to keep rates low for a while
Glacier FarmMedia – It’s a nice time to be carrying debt — if your business is flourishing. Not only are interest rates low, but lenders are looking for borrowers who can pay their bills. That puts farmers in the driver’s seat. Why it matters: Reworking debt when interest rates are low can reduce borrowing costs […] Read more
Lessons from a rejected seed deal
Seed growers found enough to avoid accepting a deal tying them to other seed groups, despite a five-year process
Glacier FarmMedia – Canada’s seed industry is taking a step back to ponder farmers’ stunning rejection of a cross-industry organization merger. “We’re disappointed,” said Lorne Hadley, executive director of the Canadian Plant Technology Agency and a key proponent of the five-organization merger idea. “This was a very, very long process.” Why it matters: Farmer concern […] Read more
Comment: Battered markets are more resilient than they might seem
Trade and food demand still find a way despite political challenges
China knows how to stick it to Canadian farmers. The Europeans know how to keep out Canadian farm products, but they do it with more subtlety and grace. With the United States, who knows what Donald Trump or Joe Biden will do with North American free trade in the next four years? It’s hard to […] Read more
Weak loonie only gets Canadian farmers so far
Collapsing oil prices have weakened Canada’s currency, but only against the U.S. greenback, which dilutes the benefit
Glacier FarmMedia – The good news is that the Canadian dollar is likely to remain weak for the foreseeable future, according to most analysts. The bad news is that the weakness, which tends to boost Canadian agricultural values, might only exist compared to the American dollar, and that might not mean much. “Who am I […] Read more
Opinion: Are crops and meat Canada’s best soft power tools?
An agricultural think tank thinks they could be during current world upheaval
Glacier FarmMedia – Have you been hoarding toilet paper? How about white flour? Cheese? From trips to my local supermarket and posts on my social media accounts, it seemed like lots of people did. If you were planning to spend the month baking and didn’t stock up, you were out of luck for a while. […] Read more
Trade deals not working well enough for farmers
Government continues to look for multilateral deals
Glacier FarmMedia – Canada’s top trade warriors have strongly underlined their commitment to fight for fair treatment of Canadian farm products in the global marketplace. But the growing exasperation of the agriculture industry with the obstructionist antics of foreign trading partners was evident during the Canadian Crops Convention. Signed trade deals that once seemed to […] Read more
Northern Ontario farm serves local market
A farm near Thunder Bay supplies people with vegetables through a community-supported program
Glacier FarmMedia – What kind of crazy people would set up a vegetable farm from scratch outside Thunder Bay, Ont.? Two southern Ontarians with no agriculture education or background, that’s who. Why it matters: Innovative approaches and young farmers with fresh ideas can give agriculture a healthy spark and are vital to the continued sustainability […] Read more
When should farmers embrace new technology?
Farmers have different approaches toward tech, but it has to pay
Glacier FarmMedia – When should farmers embrace the bold technologies that promise to transform their farms? “Figure out when they pay,” said Kansas State University agricultural economist Terry Griffin. Why it matters: Farmers are being bombarded by new technology, forcing them into decisions about what technology to use and what to reject. The simple economic […] Read more
New trade order called bad news for Canada
A new report says Canada and its farmers aren’t equipped to deal with a move away from the ‘liberal world order’
Glacier FarmMedia – Farmers face a starkly worsened long-term world market for their crops and livestock, fears a Canadian agricultural economics analysis firm. And that means many basic assumptions of how farm markets and prices behave might have to be radically reconsidered. “Some of the assumptions of the liberal world order — price arbitrage and […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
