Canadian farms’ gross hits record high in Q1

Farm cash receipts for Canadian farmers totalled a record high of $12.1 billion during the first quarter of 2011, up 8.8 per cent from the year-earlier period, according to Statistics Canada. This follows a 7.5 per cent decline between the first quarters of 2009 and 2010, the federal statistics agency said in a report Wednesday. […] Read more

Net farm income rises on lower costs in 2010

Realized net farm income in Canada amounted to $4.5 billion in 2010 — a 46.1 per cent increase from 2009, as a decline in operating costs outpaced a slight dip in receipts, according to Statistics Canada. The increase in 2010 followed a 16.6 per cent drop in 2009, the federal statistics agency said in a […] Read more


Le Bulletin to join Farm Business Communications

One of Quebec’s most storied farm publications is poised to join the house of Country Guide, Grainews and Canadian Cattlemen. Vancouver-based Glacier Media on Wednesday announced a deal to buy 15 trade publications from Rogers Publishing, including the monthly French-language farmers’ magazine Le Bulletin des agriculteurs. A company official confirmed Wednesday that Le Bulletin will […] Read more

Paradis takes over Blackburn’s ag duties, industry file

Wednesday’s post-election shuffle of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s cabinet keeps Gerry Ritz in the agriculture minister’s chair and brings back one of the portfolio’s previous backup players to assist. Quebec MP Christian Paradis, who was minister of natural resources before the May 2 election, was shuffled Wednesday to become minister of industry as well as […] Read more



Canada’s farmland values keep rising: FCC

A study by Canada’s federal ag lender finds the average value of farmland across the country rose by over five per cent in 2010, with values in Ontario, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island ahead of the six-month curve. Crown agriculture and agrifood lending agency Farm Credit Canada on Monday released the latest instalment […] Read more



Farmers in Manitoba spill zone to be compensated

Farmers flooded by a controlled spill to prevent an uncontrolled blowout of Assiniboine River dikes will be compensated “fairly and swiftly and comprehensively,” according to Agriculture Minister Stan Struthers. “It’s a special case and it will be a special compensation package that we come forward with,” Struthers said in an interview Wednesday. “We need to […] Read more



Commodity storm leaves food concerns intact

This week’s commodities plunge has done little to dent concerns of continuing food price inflation, as grain prices held up better than most and fundamentals for the highly weather-sensitive sector are unchanged. Grain traders have had their eyes glued to weather forecasts rather than economic data, as heavy rainfall slows planting in the U.S. Corn […] Read more