In the middle of September, the Prairies were hit with frost, rain and snow. If this were a sporting event and I were the referee that would be enough for me to eject Mother Nature from the game along with a two or three game suspension for an unsportsman-like conduct penalty as her actions were […] Read more
Farming can be a rough game to play
Protect yourself and your farm by making a risk management plan in advance
Watch the grain markets this fall
Outlining some of the factors influencing post-harvest prices
Hot and dry weather across a large part of the Prairies advanced crops and brought harvest on ahead of schedule. Yields are variable, but the expectation is that we will end up with an average crop, based on 10-year average yields. Early reports of high protein up to 17 per cent in wheat has already […] Read more
A second chance for good grain prices?
Changes in world markets may give us another chance to lock in high prices
As the summer continued we saw a continuation of hot and dry weather across much of the Prairies and parts of the U.S. central growing region, not to mention other parts of the world like Australia, the EU, Russia and South America. This raised concerns of potentially tightened world supplies which pushed market values back up to the […] Read more
Weather, trade and our grain markets
Local and global events are keeping markets moving. Keep your eyes on your own work
As the calendar turned to April most of the Prairies looked like they were back in January with the snow cover and cold. Due to the La Niña weather event persisting for longer than some had predicted, portions of the Midwest and Southern U.S. remained extremely dry, while the Northern States, like the Prairies were […] Read more
Make the smart health choice
Approach your health plan as seriously as you approached your spring cropping plan
Many producers I talked to before spring seeding said they were going to run hard and put in long hours to make up for the late start. From a risk management perspective, the No. 1 priority every spring should be your health and safety. Over the past 10 years, advancements in equipment and technology have […] Read more
Pre-season contracts and changed plans
If you’ve changed seeding plans due to spring weather, check your contract obligations
So far, 2018 is setting up to be a year of extremes and challenges. There’s been record snow pack in the mountains and a drawn-out winter with excessive snow across the Prairies. Overland flooding across wide areas of the Prairies came during one of the latest springs in years. On April 21, I was in […] Read more
Are your grain deliveries protected?
Know the full CGC rules to make sure your payment is protected when you make a sale
Not getting paid for the grain you deliver. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s a tough financial blow. Know the rules so you can protect yourself. The law in this area is in the hands of the Canada Grains Commission. Everything you read here in italics comes from the CGC website. Let’s […] Read more
Grain marketing changes over time
After all of the changes over the past decades, do farmers have more price control?
When I started my first job at a farmer-owned co-op grain elevator 36 years ago, the only way a producer could get a price was by calling or stopping by the local elevator to see the daily bids. These only included grains like canola, rye and flax, as all wheats, barley and oats were under […] Read more
What are the “best of the best” doing?
Is your farm in the top of the field? If not, can you find a way to get there?
“The success of any farm enterprise, regardless of size, geography, or commodity is directly related to the farm business management skills and practices of the farm manager.” This is a quote from a session I attended at FarmTech, put on by Farm Management Canada. Farm Management Canada has gathered some very interesting information in an extensive cross-Canada survey focusing on best […] Read more
FarmTech update continued
Weather and market information picked up on the winter meeting speaker circuit
While at FarmTech in Edmonton, I had a chance to hear speakers talk about weather and markets. Drew Lerner from World Weather Inc. is always popular. This year, he aptly named his presentation “Wild and Whacky Weather.” Lerner’s key message was that the weather across the Prairies and the U.S. is deeply influenced by the […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
