Farm equipment makers are challenged by many factors, most of which stem from COVID-19 in one way or another.

Machinery market remains hot, but sales cool

Machinery makers face shortages of parts, supply chain delays, rising costs for labour and transportation as COVID disrupts business

Glacier FarmMedia – Farm equipment sales are down for Canada and United States, with Canada showing significant reductions from last year on the largest gear. This year, four-wheel drive tractors and combines in Canada saw sales fall 22 per cent from last season at this time. American numbers were better, but followed the same trend, […] Read more

Checking the grocery bill

Organic groups watch for trends as food prices rise

DFO cuts organic production in anticipation of slowed market growth

Leaders of Ontario’s organic food production and processing sectors aren’t ready to declare a trend but there are indications that recent food price inflation has affected consumers’ willingness to pay premium prices for organic options. “There have been a few emails coming through from people concerned about how this is going to affect organics,” Organic […] Read more

CBOT November 2022 soybeans (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Chicago grains firm on yield uncertainty ahead of USDA report

Grains also underpinned by U.S. dollar fall after inflation data

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat and soybean futures closed higher on Thursday as a weaker U.S. dollar lent support to dollar-priced commodities and traders squared up their positions ahead of a key government report. Meanwhile, corn futures firmed, supported by concerns about hot and dry weather stressing the U.S. Midwest crop through its final […] Read more


When interest rates were near zero and food and fuel were abundant, problems could be avoided. That’s no longer the case.

Opinion: Populist politics can have negative impact on debt crisis

Glacier FarmMedia – Crop and other commodity markets are off their highs, but don’t expect the commodity bull market to go away soon or for its impacts to fade. Prices for food, fuel and other indispensable commodities are still high enough to tip numerous nations into financial trouble, economic hardship, hunger and political strife. A […] Read more


File photo of a rainy day in Iqaluit. (Wildnerdpix/iStock/Getty Images)

Cold and hungry: Food inflation bites Canada’s North

'It's really expensive to do business here'

Iqaluit | Reuters –– In Canada’s remote North, residents have long paid dearly for food, and rising prices have worsened an already dire situation, exposing the vulnerability of one of the world’s biggest exporters of grains and meat. Communities in Nunavut — the largest of the three territories that make up Canada’s northernmost region — […] Read more

Farmers have never invested so much in a crop as they are doing right now. That investment had better pay off because the bills are going to come due.

Opinion: Inflation is brewing up a spending hangover

Glacier FarmMedia – Man, beer has gotten expensive. That was one of the things I thought the other evening when I met a colleague for a couple of brews on a pleasant patio. We were drinking fancy local brews rather than off-the-shelf main market brands, and those are more expensive, but still, beer ain’t as […] Read more



A view of Ceres Global Ag’s Northgate, Sask. facility as seen from its fertilizer shed in 2018. (Grainews photo by Lisa Guenther)

Ceres pulls plans for Saskatchewan canola crush plant

U.S. company suspends project citing higher-than-projected costs

U.S. ag commodities firm Ceres Global Ag’s plans for a canola crush plant in southeastern Saskatchewan are now on indefinite hold. Minneapolis-based Ceres said Friday it’s suspending the crush project it announced in May last year and will terminate a related equipment design and supply contract, so as to reduce “project-related contract liabilities.” The proposed […] Read more

(Noel Hendrickson/DigitalVision/Getty Images)

Mid-year farm gate price hike approved for milk

Processors say incremental hike may soften impact on consumers

A request from Canada’s dairy farmer organization for an unscheduled increase in the current farm gate price for milk, to help farmers catch up with steep rises in their costs of production, has been granted. The Canadian Dairy Commission said Tuesday it will recommend that the farm gate price for milk be increased effective Sept. […] Read more