File photo of signage outside Maple Leaf Foods’ Lagimodiere Boulevard plant in Winnipeg. (Dave Bedard photo)

Maple Leaf sees ‘inflection point’ beyond red ink of 2022

Packer books net losses in Q4, full-year

Another of Canada’s major pork and poultry packers has reported significant net losses in its 2022 ledger, but sees “green shoots” suggesting a return to normal pork markets and stable supply chains this year. Maple Leaf Foods on Thursday reported a net loss of $311.89 million on $4.739 billion in gross sales for its fiscal […] Read more

Ontario land values rise by double digits – again

Ontario land values rise by double digits – again

Grey, Essex, Elgin see rates climb well over 30 per cent

Southwestern Ontario farmland values continued to soar in 2022, with some of the most significant increases occurring in what were, at one time, historically undervalued counties. According to the latest farmland values report from Valco, a London-area real estate appraiser, farmland values across the 11 Southwestern counties increased by 25.65 per cent. This, said author […] Read more

Representatives from several Canadian grocery retailers were asked to explain how their profits remain high while consumers struggle to afford food at a recent Commons agriculture committee meeting.

Grocery execs on hot seat at agriculture committee

MPs studying food price inflation take the industry to task for not helping consumers while earning higher profits

Glacier FarmMedia – House of Commons agriculture committee members from all political parties last month grilled grocery retailers over food prices. Francois Thibault, executive vice-president and chief financial officer for Quebec-based Metro Inc., was particularly taken to task by Conservative MP Lianne Rood for fees retailers charge produce growers to place their products in stores […] Read more

The reputation of the Bank of Canada will be undermined if the public believes that it’s pounding away with a hammer that is not needed and causing much hardship in the process.

Opinion: Are interest rates the right tool to fight inflation?

The Bank of Canada’s ‘resolute’ fight against inflation could threaten its credibility

The Bank of Canada “resolutely” declared it will fight inflation by raising interest rates. To demonstrate its unwavering commitment to reach its two per cent inflation target, the eighth consecutive interest rate hike on Jan. 25 brings the policy rate to 4.5 per cent. The bank’s logic is this: when demand outpaces what the economy […] Read more

A CHFA survey revealed the value placed by consumers on an “organic” label has faltered in recent years.

Inflation remains top of mind for organic marketers

Organic produce sales in the U.S. declined in 2022 as consumers cut costs

Rising food prices are one of several factors creating turbulence in the organic marketplace. But, as attendees at the recent virtual segment of the 2023 Guelph Organic Conference learned, inflation will likely remain top of mind in 2023. For the first time in more than a decade of monitoring the U.S. marketplace, analyst Tom Barnes […] Read more


CBOT March 2023 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average and November 2023 soybeans (dark green o/h/l/c). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans end higher in choppy trade

CBOT corn mixed, wheat down; MGEX, K.C. wheats up

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures inched higher on Thursday while corn ended narrowly mixed after a choppy session as traders weighed poor crop prospects in Argentina against the expanding harvest of a massive Brazilian soybean crop and fears of rising interest rates, analysts said. Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) wheat futures fell on […] Read more

CME February 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle ease on profit-taking

February cattle lower after nearing eight-year top; hogs follow cash prices higher

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed lower on Tuesday on profit-taking after rising to the highest levels in nearly eight years, with worries about the health of the U.S. economy adding to bearish sentiment, analysts said. Benchmark April live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange settled down 0.425 cent at 164.675 […] Read more

Although farm revenues are up, costs are also increasing, said FCC Industry Relations Manager Darlene McBain.

Farm revenues should rise in 2023, but so will costs

Annual FCC Economic Outlook focuses on predicted global economic slowdown

Food price inflation and labour market volatility remain the post-pandemic factors to watch, Farm Credit Canada finance specialists said during the agency’s annual economic outlook Jan. 24. Although challenges like supply chain disruptions and fluctuating input costs have eased somewhat, they will likely have an effect on farm costs and profitability in 2023. Held the […] Read more


As a major importer of commodities, China will continue to leverage European countries against the U.S. by leveraging the yuan against the U.S. dollar, according to Arlan Suderman of StoneX Group.

Increasing interest rates put pressure on national debt obligations

Shifts continue in global policies and politics, says commodities economist

Trying to predict the course of commodity prices from one year to the next is a complex task. It requires a broad understanding of global monetary and geopolitical influences that can be confusing and contradictory. Arlan Suderman, chief commodities economist with StoneX Group, gave attendees at the recent Ontario Agricultural Conference a robust overview of […] Read more

NDP ag critic Alistair MacGregor speaks Feb. 3, 2023 in the House of Commons. (Alistair MacGregor video screengrab via Facebook)

Federal NDP ag critic to handle food inflation file

Mini-shuffle follows new critic portfolio

Canada’s federal New Democrats have appointed their critic for agriculture and agri-food to a new point position on a major issue for the fourth-ranked opposition party. After the House of Commons resumed sitting last Monday (Jan. 30), NDP leader Jagmeet Singh on Friday named Alistair MacGregor, MP for the Vancouver Island riding of Cowichan-Malahat-Langford, to […] Read more