As the height of the pandemic fades, COVID-induced problems for the big farm equipment brands are starting to ease. Their sales numbers have seen a post-pandemic jump. Sales of utility and compact utility tractors have declined sharply from an artificial high, which was attributed to acreage owners stuck at home during the pandemic and spending […] Read more
Business — page 4
Profits up at agriculture equipment makers
Higher sales and profit margins boost the balance sheets of major agricultural implement makers
Farmers show success in marketing sustainability
Making sure consumers understand the language around farming improvements is key
Farmers and the food industry have roles to play as greater emphasis is placed on sustainable farming practices. Representatives from across the food supply chain recently discussed the producer/industry relationship at Valley Bio Farms near Cobden, hosted by Foodbridge’s Beth Hunter and Valley Bio owner Reuben Stone. Valley Bio produces, cleans and sells seeds for […] Read more
Computer chips made in Taiwan are a vital farm input
It sounds like the premise of a cheap novelette: put 90 per cent of the world’s most strategic industry in a tiny place caught between two superpowers and push those powers toward confrontation and war. It seems far-fetched until you consider that this is a real situation in the semiconductor industry based in Taiwan. Almost […] Read more
Peggy Brekveld elected to third term as OFA president
Peggy Brekveld has been elected as President of the province’s largest farm organization to a third one-year term . Brekveld, a Thunder Bay-area dairy farmer, was re-elected at the Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s (OFA) annual meeting, held in London, Ont. earlier this week. Joining Brekveld on the OFA executive are Vice Presidents Drew Spoelstra and […] Read more
Diversifying on-farm land use
Farmers look for municipal guidance when diversifying operations
University of Guelph — Ontario has lost 319 acres of farmland a day since 2016, according to the recently released 2021 Census of Agriculture. The number of small- to medium-sized farms is decreasing while the number of larger farms is increasing. These numbers show some family farms’ difficulties in maintaining a viable agricultural livelihood. But […] Read more
Fertilizer tariff burdens Ontario growers
Additional 35 per cent cost applies to all Russian fertilizer not in country as of March 2
Canadian farmers are wondering why some inputs already bought and paid for are arriving with yet another invoice after a 35 per cent tariff was imposed on all Russian fertilizer imports. The reason is simple, though the situation is messy. If fertilizer ordered before March 2 was already on Canadian soil, the tariff is irrelevant […] Read more
Resource-rich Canada grapples with key labour issues
From agriculture to the oilpatch, lack of labour is driving up wages
Canada’s economic recovery from the pandemic is being hampered by labour shortages across industries ranging from energy to aviation to agriculture, forcing companies to consider multiple salary hikes and offer other perks. Statistics Canada data Nov. 5 showed the national unemployment rate hit a 20-month low in October. The shortage of skilled and unskilled workers […] Read more
Farm debt under control, but watch for higher interest rates
The potential for higher interest rates is the darkest cloud shading recent news that farm debt in Canada recorded the smallest increase in six years, according to Farm Credit Canada’s (FCC) chief economist. Statistics Canada data showed outstanding Canadian farm debt increased by 5.9 per cent to $121.9 billion as producers invested in land, buildings and equipment. […] Read more
Editorial: Inflation worries
Gen Xers have enjoyed the stability the economic system has given them
I’ve been lucky to have spent most of my adult life in very stable economic times. Interest rates have been low and steady. Global trade and economic growth have been measured and predictable. Governments mostly spent within their means. Then the pandemic roiled trading systems, supply chains and supply and demand and that’s made me […] Read more
Agriculture workplaces grapple with change
Flexible hybrid work options and managing a return to face-to-face interactions top the trends
A worldwide pandemic, technology and the ability to adapt on the fly have catapulted agriculture-based business into a new hybrid dimension that will likely continue. In rapid succession, the agriculture workplace landscape morphed from a hands-on, in-person machine to one of virtual meetings, touchless billing and payment systems and greater demand for accessible and reliable […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
