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
Tag Archives economy
Comment: Interprovincial trade barriers like ‘hidden GST’
Easing trade barriers domestically would be beneficial to industry
Editorial: Inflation pressure not a surprise
There’s not much doubt that we’re into inflationary times with recently reported annual inflation of 4.4 per cent. That means additional risk for farmers to manage along with the supply chain challenges currently roiling the world and the usual headwinds that come with running a farm. The latest indicator that there’s inflation beyond what many […] Read more
Origins of the increase in food prices explored
Ontario’s agri-food industry can employ strategies to keep these in check
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
Canada economy seen weaker than expected as supply chain woes weigh
Ottawa | Reuters – The Canadian economy most likely underperformed expectations in the third quarter amid ongoing supply chain woes and a brutal drought, official data suggested on Friday, prompting analysts to forecast the Bank of Canada could move slower on rate hikes. The economy expanded by 0.4 percent in August, missing estimates, and looked […] Read more
Canada concerned about supply chain issues, watching ports ‘closely’
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
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
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
Interest rate hike protection advised
Rates are forecasted to rise next year, so now is the time to hedge risk
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
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
Dismissing big lever economic thinking
Economies change in unpredictable ways and so will agriculture, says business professor
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
U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures down on big supplies, economic jitters
Surge in U.S. COVID-19 cases rattles Wall Street
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
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
