We all have character traits that will help us perform well and those that will hurt us. We need to take advantage of the helpful ones and manage the hurtful ones.

Four market success factors, Part 2

Portfolio construction and how you manage yourself

While individual stock selection gets most of the airtime, organizing those stocks into a high performance, resilient portfolio is equally important. This aspect is referred to as diversification, but it is bigger than that. Some may think owning a number of companies in a couple different sectors qualifies as diversification. However, the market tends to […] Read more

Spring runoff on April 27, 2022 at the Pembina Escarpment near Miami, Man., about 40 km northwest of Winkler. (Manitoba Co-operator/Allan Dawson video screengrab)

Flood warnings raised in Manitoba, southeastern Saskatchewan

Flows could reach 2009 levels in Manitoba

MarketsFarm — Spring flooding in Manitoba’s Red River Valley could approach levels last seen in 2009, the highest water level since 1997’s “Flood of the Century,” according to the latest update from the provincial Hydrologic Forecast Centre. The centre is monitoring a precipitation system forecast for the April 29-May 1 weekend that is expected to […] Read more


Canadian farmers are a diverse bunch. To an outsider looking in, though, these great attributes, which are deserving of celebration and promotion, are often hidden under a veneer of homogeneity.

Toban Dyck: Clothes do not make the man — or do they?

The essence of a farmer deserves more examination

What does a farmer look like to you? Is that person wearing a zip-up sweater or jacket with an ag company logo emblazoned on the front and back? Is that person’s face and hands clean or are they dirty or stained and wrinkled from years of tinkering on machinery and toiling in the soil? Or, […] Read more

(File photo by Lorraine Stevenson)

Elevator declarations changing Aug. 1

CGC says the move won't harm Canada's grain quality assurance system

The declarations of eligibility western Canadian farmers sign before delivering to elevators, effective Aug. 1, will no longer include crops that don’t require end-use quality assessment as part of the variety registration process. “It’s not a big change,” Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) spokesman Remi Gosselin said in an interview Thursday. Wade Sobkowich, executive director of […] Read more


Flags in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. (Inakiantonana/E+/Getty Images)

EU crops to face some challenges in 2022-23

MarketsFarm — Total grain production in the European Union is expected to decrease overall by 2.4 per cent in 2022-23, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture attachés throughout the multi-nation bloc. For the coming crop year, they forecast production to be 286.02 million tonnes of wheat, corn, barley, rye, oats, mixed grains and others. One […] Read more



EU flags in front of the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels. (Jorisvo/iStock/Getty Images)

EU’s oilseed yields expected to decline in 2022-23

USDA's attaches predict uptick in EU's oilseed acres

MarketsFarm — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) attachés in Europe have projected oilseed production in the 27-member European Union to increase just slightly in 2022-23. The 18 attachés involved in the report expect about 31.07 million tonnes in total, for a 0.4 per cent bump in total oilseed output from 2021-22. The oilseeds included […] Read more

File photo of fresh palm fruits and palm oil. (Slpu9945/iStock/Getty Images)

Indonesia bans palm oil exports as global food inflation spikes

Government under pressure to control cooking oil prices

Jakarta | Reuters — Indonesia, the world’s top palm oil producer, announced plans to ban exports of the most widely used vegetable oil on Friday, in a shock move that could further inflame surging global food inflation. The halting of shipments of the cooking oil and its raw material, widely used in products ranging from […] Read more


'It is important for producers to encourage and work with female vets… I have met many that can definitely do anything that I did in practice.' – Roy Lewis.

Creative ideas on accessing veterinary care

Animal Health: A few thoughts on how producers can perhaps help fewer veterinarians reach more animals

With a lot of talk about the shortage of veterinarians, especially large-animal practitioners but also small-animal and emergency veterinarians, steps are being taken to increase veterinary school graduates. It was recently announced that the University of Calgary vet school will expand from the current 50 students as of two years ago to 100 students within […] Read more

Test

PHOTOS: Les Henry: Saltlander grass for salty ground

This tale has a happy ending

Saline soils flush up to the max with a dry spell after many wet years. The wet years bring up the water table and the dry years provide the evaporation to concentrate the salt. There is often an underlying cause (literally). And that underlying cause is artesian pressure from an aquifer. On my Dundurn farm […] Read more