It can seem like there’s no end of stories, opinions and advice to help farmers transition the farm business to the next generation. But how do you transition yourself? How do you live with retirement? Volunteering helped Shirley Lahn and her late husband Howard when they were busy farming, and then through the transition and[...]
Federal Tories' former associate ag critic takes lead chair
Andrew Scheer's federal Conservatives will have a familiar face in the agriculture critic's chair when the House of Commons reconvenes next month. Scheer on Friday named John Barlow, the MP for the southwestern Alberta riding of Foothills, as the lead opposition critic for agriculture and agri-food. Barlow replaces Quebec MP Luc Berthold, who takes up[...]
How farmers can adapt to the new weather abnormal
For many western Canadian farmers this is the fourth consecutive year with harvest progress seriously stymied by weather issues. Fall rains and snows have resulted in significant loss of crop quality and/or an increased reliance on costly drying of crops in each of those years. For some farmers, inclement weather has even resulted in crops[...]
Why Kubota thinks you’ll buy more of its farm equipment
As I walked through Kubota’s new headquarters in Grapevine, Texas, one particular observation stood out to me. In other companies’ offices and engineering centres that I’ve visited, there was never any shortage of images of the brand’s machines lining the hallway walls. The offices in the Kubota building were stylish and comfortable with plenty of[...]
Canadian Financial Close: Canadian dollar slightly lower at midweek
By MarketsFarm WINNIPEG, Oct. 30 (MarketsFarm) - The Canadian dollar was lower on Wednesday following the Bank of Canada and United States Federal Reserve interest rate announcements. The dollar finished the day at US$0.7603 or US$1=C$1.3152, compared to Tuesday when it closed at US$0.7648 or US$1=C$1.3075. Financial markets an hit all-time high following the Fed’s[...]
How a major U.S. farm lender left a trail of defaults, lawsuits
Harrod, Ohio | Reuters -- After completing a credit review in a half-hour phone call, a BMO Harris Bank underwriter cleared US$12 million in loans for Ohio corn and soybean producer Greg Kruger in 2013. Kruger had initially asked for a $2 million loan to build a grain elevator. But the Chicago-based bank, one of[...]
Major Quebec hothouse grower seeks creditor protection
One of Quebec's best known greenhouse propagators, who in recent years launched an aggressive expansion into organic vegetables, is seeking creditor protection. Les Serres Lefort, which operates almost 50 acres of greenhouse facilities at Sainte-Clotilde in Quebec's Monteregie, announced Sept. 10 it had filed a notice of intention on Sept. 6 to file a proposal[...]
Regenerative agriculture hits the mainstream
If you’re a cattle producer, you may already have heard the term “regenerative agriculture.” If you’re a grain producer, maybe not. But that’s about to change. This spring, General Mills announced a plan to advance regenerative agriculture practices on one million acres of farmland in the U.S. and Canada by 2030, and Cargill Canada announced[...]
Different in Quebec
For centuries, agriculture has been a major contributor to the economic engine of Quebec and to the vitality of its rural regions. In 2016, the GDP of Quebec’s bio-food industry was 7.4 per cent, totalled $23.4 billion, and created 12 per cent of jobs in the province. From 2013 to 2016, the GDP of the[...]
Investing in agri-food technology
San Eng thinks the agri-food technology investment climate in Canada might improve, but a “venture capital ecosystem” must develop quickly or the nation will lose out. “The people I’ve talked to are overlooking the sector — they don’t think it’s sexy enough, which is disappointing because the potential is there,” says the serial entrepreneur who[...]
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
