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Build your grain marketing plan from the ground up
Crops, Marketing, News

Build your grain marketing plan from the ground up

A robust grain marketing plan will help you get the most out of your hard-earned crops. Use these expert tips to get the ball rolling

By
Neil Blue had only been farming a year or so when he came to an important realization — if you’re selling grain, it pays to educate yourself on the best way to do it. Blue grew up on a family farm and began farming on his own in Vermilion, Alta., in 1981. When he went […] Read more
Farmbucks costs $120 for a yearly subscription and is available for a free, 30-day trial. Lynn Dargis, the Alberta farmer who created the Farmbucks website and app, says her goal is to keep the service affordable and of value to pro­ducers.
Features, Marketing

A quick and easy way to compare grain prices

Farmbucks is an online tool that provides a localized snapshot of actual bids in real time geared to help farmers get the best prices for their grain

By
Sometimes an idea comes along that seems so obvious it’s hard to imagine why it hasn’t been thought of before. Farmbucks, an online tool to help western Canadian farmers get the best price for the grain they sell, falls into that category. Why it matters: Invented by a farmer for farmers, Farmbucks is a subscription-based, […] Read more
If you don’t have the numbers to make a truck load lot, it may be worthwhile to team up with another producer.
Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock, Marketing

Numbers matter when marketing cattle

Genetics may not matter as much as larger, more consistent lots

By
The definition of marketing for some cow-calf producers could be “rounding up the calves, loading them into trailers and sending them to the local auction market.” While this method will put a cheque in the bank account, it’s not likely the optimum definition to tie the financial proficiency of an operation to. Advertise herd genetics […] Read more
The Canadian food industry used to be split at around 70 per cent retail and 30 per cent food service and institutional. Today the split is closer to 90 and 10 per cent, respectively, says Peter Chapman.

Features, Marketing

How have the value chain and consumers changed – and will it affect your marketing plans?

Be prepared for greater volatility and disruptions to markets, spend more time on business management practices and take a wider view of consumer behaviours and the value chain

By
Most market analysts and farm advisors agree that farmers shouldn’t change their overall marketing plans over the next 12 months specifically because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential future effects on trade and global economies. That said, this is without doubt a year unlike any other, and to be prepared for the possibility of […] Read more
The articles I’ve written that stick with me the most are those that inspired you to respond to them.
Columns, Marketing, Markets

What can I say, but thank you

Reflections on 12 years as a columnist

By
Looking back through my files as I write my final column for this publication, I discovered the first article I wrote for Grainews dates back to 2008. When you say “2008,” it doesn’t seem that long ago, but the math tells another story! It’s been 12 years of you, the readers of Grainews, taking the […] Read more
What happened to those co-op grain elevator companies? Part 3
Columns, Marketing, Markets

What happened to those co-op grain elevator companies? Part 3

Grain co-op history and what marked the beginning of the end of those companies

By
The establishment of co-op organizations came out of the realization that people needed to work together for the benefit and betterment of everyone and the ability to join together to either sell or purchase needed products at fair value to ensure a decent living and livelihood for all involved. When the First World War broke […] Read more
How grain companies are changing the numbers: Part 2
Columns, Marketing, Markets

How grain companies are changing the numbers: Part 2

Know grain handling and cleaning charges to negotiate better prices

By
In my last column, I discussed how total grain production and total grain exports have not increased dramatically over the last five years. So why are grain companies building new facilities over this same time period? Grain handling is a volume and numbers business. If grain companies don’t handle the volume, they need to “change […] Read more
New grain elevator builds over the past five years, why? Part I
Columns, Marketing, Markets

New grain elevator builds over the past five years, why? Part I

Number crunches tell an interesting story of new facilities on the Prairies

By
For curiosity, I went onto the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) website and looked up the number of primary elevators by province on the Prairies back to 2012. I found the results interesting. The overall capacity continued to grow even during the initial number decline, which tells me that new, larger facilities were being built while […] Read more
When outside influences drive world markets, there are a number of ways to price your grain for next year.
Columns, Marketing, Markets

Risk management in a chaotic world

How should you manage your price and production risk in a year when prices are unpredictable?

By
Impeachment trial, Israeli/Palestinian conflict, trade disputes, passenger planes being mistakenly shot down, countrywide rail blockades and a health epidemic that’s sending shock waves through world markets. How can you keep your farm from becoming a casualty of these unpredictable events? In previous articles, I’ve discussed how improving management practices can ensure your farm is running […] Read more
Some crops have a futures market, others don’t.
Features, Marketing

Making your grain marketing plan

Getting started with the basics of basis and futures

By
Trade wars, weather delays, low-quality grains, lower-than-hoped-for prices. When your crop is finally in the bin, this might be a good year to learn more about marketing so you can make the most of what you have. There are many different ways to market grains and some are better suited to certain crops. Some crops […] Read more

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