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
Tag Archives economy
Interest rate hike protection advised
Rates are forecasted to rise next year, so now is the time to hedge risk
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
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
Editorial: Putting the emphasis on family generational wealth
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
American trade policy remaking world economy
Many parts of it will be detrimental to American trade over the long term, says former negotiator
There are several ways the United States is losing by focusing on a nationalist trade agenda and balancing trade in every way, says a former U.S. chief agriculture trade negotiator. Darci Vetter, who is now vice chair, Agriculture, Food and Trade with Edelman, told the recent Arrell Food Summit that that’s borne out in the […] Read more
Editorial: Watching for the next great leap in agriculture
Agriculture has been the productivity star of the Canadian economy for the past 50 years, says John Stackhouse of the Royal Bank. But he also says that predictable productivity improvement seen almost every year is flagging and he’s not sure why. He told the Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s annual meeting that for agriculture to become […] Read more
Editorial: Exporting agriculture’s productivity miracle
Global productivity in agriculture production continues to grow healthily, but not yet fast enough to feed the expected 10 billion people on the planet by 2050. That’s according to the 2019 Global Agriculture Productivity (GAP) Report, recently released by Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The report says that agriculture productivity is increasing […] Read more
International trade disputes a threat to global economy
Numerous trade disputes have broken out around the world, causing uncertainty
Glacier FarmMedia – Hearing all the grim talk about slowing global growth and seeing alarming signs from the bond market, it’s understandable that many believe the world is fated to fall into recession soon, acknowledges the chief economist of National Bank of Canada. But unless some wild cards get played, the actual chances of a […] Read more