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Tag Archives economy — page 5

Spike in big U.S. farm loans may add risk to agricultural banks
News

Spike in big U.S. farm loans may add risk to agricultural banks

Farmers are feeling the impact of the U.S.- China trade war as commodity prices drop

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Chicago | Reuters – A sharp jump in American farmers seeking operating and equipment loans of at least US$1 million fuelled a spike in agricultural lending in the third quarter of 2018, as trade worries added to economic strain in the farm sector, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City said Oct. 19. Why it […] Read more
Soybeans show significant change in exports from Canada when there is market volatility.
Markets, News

Price volatility means export challenges

Farm Credit Canada study covering 30 years shows most agriculture exports drop during periods of volatility

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A Farm Credit Canada analysis of 30 years of trading showed that during periods of price volatility, Canadian exports usually decline to most markets. Prices for soybeans, beef and pork are particularly volatile during periods driven by trade tensions – as are being seen right now. That doesn’t bode well for producers of those commodities […] Read more
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer discusses the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) as U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin look on during a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., October 1, 2018.
News

Trump administration plans new trade talks with EU, UK, Japan

Congressional approval must be granted under fast-track rules

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Washington | Reuters – The United States Trade Representative’s office told Congress in mid-October it intends to open trade talks with the European Union, the United Kingdom and Japan. Under fast-track rules, the United States cannot start talks with the EU, Japan and the United Kingdom until 90 days after notifying Congress. Why it matters: […] Read more
farmer driving a tractor
Crops, News

Ag Economy Barometer volatile, drops to two-year lows

American farmers indicated trade uncertainty and potential oversupply were major worries

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A so-called Ag Economy Barometer, a reading of American producer sentiment, has fallen to its lowest level since October 2016. The barometer, a project of Purdue University and the CME Group, fell 15 points in September to 114 from an August reading of 129. The Ag Barometer is an index based on a survey of […] Read more
One of the new silos that have been erected at Gay Lea’s Teewater plant is hoisted. Processors made significant investments in dairy processing that could be put at risk with the new USMCA trade deal.
Livestock, News

Dairy processors concerned about USMCA trade deal

Processors want compensation to be distributed differently than under CETA

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The organization representing dairy processors says it is resolutely against the new United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal. The CEO of the lobby organization representing processors told Farmtario in early October that he “anxiously awaits the Canadian text to be published” containing the deal’s precise details. “Canada’s dairy processing industry is deeply disappointed […] Read more
close up shot of word usmca
News

Editorial: A trade deal that needed to be done

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Canada’s supply management system will go on, despite some cursory efforts by Americans to get rid of it during the recent North American trade talks. This should be the last trade agreement that Canadian supply managed sectors need to worry about. After Europe, Asia and Oceania and the United States, there aren’t many other dairy […] Read more
News

Opinion: Agriculture needs to fight new age of trade protectionism

The Canadian government should apply a ‘trade lens’ to its policies across departments

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The world has entered a new age of nationalism, resulting in growing trade protectionism and increasing barriers for Canadian farmers and exporters who depend on international markets. The idea that trade is about winning or losing is dangerous and misleading. This idea ignores the world’s growth over the last 75 years and the disastrous outcomes […] Read more
Apple growers use seasonal workers to harvest their fruit.
News

Ontario government caps minimum wage increases

Horticulture sector praises cap, but say some damage already done

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The Ontario government has frozen Ontario’s minimum wage at $14, bringing praise from fruit and vegetable growers. Fruit and vegetable growers, especially, have been hard hit by the former Liberal government’s increase of minimum wage from $11.60 per hour to $14 per hour on Jan. 1, 2018. Why it matters: Increasing minimum wage by close […] Read more
Canadian beef exports to Japan saw their second highest year ever in 2017, the most since 2001.
Livestock

Beef trade to Japan expected to rise

Last year saw exceptional sales, but they could be even better if the tariff on beef to Japan drops with CPTPP implementation

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The Canadian beef industry just experienced its second-best year ever for exports into Japan, with the 2018 projection indicating a continuation of that trend. Attendees at the third annual Canadian Beef Industry Convention (CBIC) in London, Ont. were told to expect even greater growth once the federal government ratifies the trade deal known as the […] Read more
Cheddar cheese is one area that is subjected to high U.S. import tariffs.
News

U.S. dairy tariffs block many imports

An analysis says the U.S. isn’t the great free-trader in dairy it makes itself out to be

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If you listen to U.S. President Donald Trump, the United States is a free-trading hero that is being abused by protectionist “freeloaders” like Canada. Especially with Canadian restrictions on dairy imports, the U.S. president has presented an image of fair-trading American dairy farmers being taken advantage of by outrageous Canadian rules to protect that country’s […] Read more

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