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Tag Archives economy — page 3

Food prices have always and will always rise with inflation.
News

Origins of the increase in food prices explored

Ontario’s agri-food industry can employ strategies to keep these in check

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Inflation is a fact of life, but if you have been in a grocery store lately, you may have gotten the impression that it is hitting the food sector a bit harder than is typical. And you’d be correct. It started when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Canada. Added requirements to sanitize facilities and provide […] Read more
File photo of the Port of Montreal. (Guy Banville/iStock/Getty Images)
Crops, Machinery, Markets

Canada concerned about supply chain issues, watching ports ‘closely’

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Reuters –– Canada is concerned about the challenges facing global supply chains and is watching the country’s ports very closely, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Thursday. Freeland, speaking to reporters in Washington after meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, said she was broadly optimistic about the strength of Canada’s economic recovery […] Read more
According to the report authors, large and highly efficient farms are a linchpin in competitive agri-food supply chains, while smaller farms are linked to the development and sustainability of rural communities. But policy objectives for farm structure do not exist, let alone programming.
News

Changes in farm structure poses risk, requires policy

Average farm size an 'illusion.' Report shows that loss of medium-sized businesses creates a circular problem for larger farms

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Large farms in Canada are growing in number at the expense of small and medium-sized farms, and at an accelerating pace, observes a new report. The issue is unlikely to be resolved by markets and competition among farmers alone and represents a new dimension for agri-food policy. So says a September 2021 policy paper published […] Read more
There are more options to reduce interest rate risk over a longer period of time for higher value farm borrowers.
News

Interest rate hike protection advised

Rates are forecasted to rise next year, so now is the time to hedge risk

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Glacier FarmMedia – Farmers should start thinking about protecting themselves from potential interest rate hikes, agricultural debt financing experts say. “If you … have borrowings of $2 million or greater that do have long-term amortizations that are associated with them, you should be exploring ways for you to mitigate your interest rate risk over a […] Read more
lumber
Business, News

Editorial: Inflation worries

Gen Xers have enjoyed the stability the economic system has given them

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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
When More is Not Better, by Roger Martin, was named one of the Financial Times’ top business books of 2020.
News

Dismissing big lever economic thinking

Economies change in unpredictable ways and so will agriculture, says business professor

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The pursuit of efficiency in business has not produced the results that most people are looking for, says business professor and author Roger Martin. Martin, a professor emeritus at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, says that in complex systems like economies, not every direction has a healthy outcome and systems […] Read more
(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)
Livestock, Markets

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures down on big supplies, economic jitters

Surge in U.S. COVID-19 cases rattles Wall Street

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Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures eased on Wednesday and hog futures were mostly lower on ample livestock supplies and concerns about rising coronavirus infections and their negative impact on the economy. Wall Street’s three major indexes tumbled on Wednesday and crude oil plunged more than five per cent as a surge in U.S. […] Read more
The Canadian dollar has dropped from about 76 cents to the U.S. dollar to about 71 cents since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Markets, News

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

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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
There can be a presumption of inheritance by the younger generation, or an assumption by the older generation that their children will continue with the family business.
News

Editorial: Putting the emphasis on family generational wealth

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I’ve heard many speakers on farm succession. Most of them have good messages; some of them are exceptionally good at creating enthusiasm, and some have useful stories that make you squirm because you can see yourself in them. None have them have quite put things like Tom Deans, the keynote speaker on Day 1 of […] Read more

Cyber-Savvy Farmer

Glacier Farmmedia Podcast