Reuters – The United States Department of Agriculture is concerned about a potential decline in farmland real estate prices, but has seen no sign of that happening so far, said USDA chief economist Robert Johansson. Farmland prices are a key pillar of equity for the U.S. agricultural heartland, which has been suffering from lingering weakness […] Read more
Tag Archives economy — page 5
Economic challenges mean U.S. farm bankruptcies are up but land prices hold steady
USDA says farm real estate prices holding up, but the potential for a fall is there
Opinion: Canada’s new foreign charm offensive
Capital Letters with Kelsey Johnson of iPolitics
In the months after U.S. President Donald Trump was elected to the Oval Office, the Trudeau government launched a major charm offensive. Minister after minister headed south for meetings with American officials including congressmen, senators, governors and senior staff within the Trump administration. Parliamentary committees travelled south to meet with their American counterparts and Canadians […] Read more
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
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
Price volatility means export challenges
Farm Credit Canada study covering 30 years shows most agriculture exports drop during periods of volatility
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
Trump administration plans new trade talks with EU, UK, Japan
Congressional approval must be granted under fast-track rules
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
Ag Economy Barometer volatile, drops to two-year lows
American farmers indicated trade uncertainty and potential oversupply were major worries
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
Dairy processors concerned about USMCA trade deal
Processors want compensation to be distributed differently than under CETA
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
Editorial: A trade deal that needed to be done
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
Opinion: Agriculture needs to fight new age of trade protectionism
The Canadian government should apply a ‘trade lens’ to its policies across departments
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
Ontario government caps minimum wage increases
Horticulture sector praises cap, but say some damage already done
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
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