Ontario’s provincial farm program delivery agency is putting priority on “situations of financial distress” as it enters “business continuity” mode. Agricorp said its program coverage options for 2020 “will not be affected, but may be delayed.” Staff are now working from home locations “where possible,” but farming customers with “urgent” requests are asked to continue […] Read more
Tag Archives Business/Finance
Ontario’s Agricorp prioritizing ‘distress’ calls
The importance of meetings
Taking the step of getting together is a critical first move in happy succession
The need for better communication and holding proper meetings with advisers and family members were stressed as key factors to successful farm ownership transfers, at a recent farm transition meeting. Farm financial and legal experts gathered in London, Ont. recently for the Canadian Association of Farm Advisors’ Farm Transition Update. “I believe the business needs […] Read more
Branded beef becoming the market standard
Beef brands are helping Ontario product in Japan, but also imported product in Ontario
Exports, taking advantage of Ontario’s strong market and building long-term brands will be key to the future of beef market growth for Ontario producers. Work is underway on a major new marketing investment in the province. Beef farmers approved an increase in checkoff at the 2019 Why it matters: Ontario beef farmers approved a higher […] Read more
Beef farmers reaching crisis point: BFO
Beef farmers looking for federal government assistance
There’s high demand for Ontario beef domestically and globally, but farmers have limited options for processing cattle and are struggling to stay afloat. Ontario’s 19,000 beef farmers are passionate about raising cattle, but the last year has been tough for all of us. A perfect storm of market and trade disruptions has caused average weekly […] Read more
U.S. cash farm income expected to slump as government aid drops
Crop farmers are expected to face continued pressure from low prices
Reuters – U.S. net cash farm income will fall 11 per cent this year as production costs rise and government aid programs set up to assist producers during the U.S.-China trade war wind down, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast issued on Feb. 5. The drop, of $13.1 billion in inflation-adjusted 2020 dollars, […] Read more
Open Food Network targets small-scale e-commerce
Not-for-profit platform now available in 12 countries
Food, unincorporated. That’s the tagline atop the website of the Canadian version of a 12-country digital commerce platform for small-scale farmers. Theresa Schumilas of Open Food Network (OFN) Canada, told those attending a Jan. 25 seminar at the Guelph Organic Conference that the platform is free for those selling less than $500 in produce per […] Read more
The challenge with fluid milk
Processors struggle with fluid milk profitability while dairy farmers work hard to rebuild the market
The profit and loss for fluid milk in Ontario is “already bust,” says a dairy processing company executive. Mark Taylor, president and chief executive officer of Lactalis Canada, the parent company of Parmalat, told the annual meeting of Dairy Farmers of Ontario that fluid milk consumption had a large drop in 2013 and has stagnated […] Read more
Vineland hires new automation leader
Hussam Haroun has joined Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (Vineland) as director of automation. In his new role, Haroun will oversee Vineland’s activities related to automation, artificial intelligence and digital agriculture technologies. He launched his own start-up after patenting and commercializing a new technology during graduate school. As CEO, he secured more than $3 million […] Read more
Australia’s wheat crop troubled
Drought continues, and it’s losing market share in Indonesia and Malaysia
MarketsFarm – Australia’s wheat crop is not looking good for 2019-20 and it’s more than the ongoing drought that’s to blame. As production in Australia has declined, it has also lost global market share, said a report from a United States Department of Agriculture attaché. Why it matters: As Australian wheat production plummets, do does […] Read more
Feed mill survey reveals first production decline in nine years
The 2020 Alltech Global Feed Survey estimates that international feed tonnage decreased by 1.07 per cent to 1.126 billion tonnes of feed produced last year, due largely to African swine fever (ASF) and the decline of pig feed in the Asia-Pacific region. The top nine feed-producing countries are the United States, China, Brazil, Russia, India, […] Read more
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