Articles Written by Richard Kamchen

There should be premiums for high-quality milling oats this year.

What to expect from grain companies premiums and discounts

Prices for different grades and protein levels are likely to vary by region throughout the crop year

By Richard Kamchen December 16, 2019

Reading Time: 4 minutes As harvest continued late into this fall, Prairie grain buyers continued to sort out what they would pay for this year’s crop. “Currently, grain company discounts and premiums for grade and protein are variable and changing almost daily as they try to determine what they can pay for these grains, what they will be able […] Read more

Sprouting in wheat triggers an enzyme that prevents bread from rising. A falling number test can determine the level of damage.

Cereals, Crops

Marketing strategies for your 2019 crop

A different approach is needed for this year’s lower-quality harvest

By Richard Kamchen December 4, 2019

Reading Time: 3 minutes After several years of high-quality crops across most of the Prairies, this fall’s poor harvesting conditions mean many farmers have the unenviable task of trying to unload low-grade cereals. “This year we’re going to be seeing the bulk of the (wheat) crop in the lower grades, No. 3s or feed,” says MarketsFarm analyst Bruce Burnett. […] Read more

Organic food and beverage markets totalled $4.4 billion, up from $2.8 billion in 2012, COTA estimates. Exports for 2017 were predicted to reach $607 million.

Fruit/Vegetables, Guide Business

Room to grow organic

Farmers are upping their organic output, but they’re still a long way from meeting the demand of the two-thirds of Canadians who sometimes or always shop for organic

By Richard Kamchen March 21, 2019

Reading Time: 5 minutes Led by Millennial buyers, demand for organic food across Canada is growing robustly. Demand is surging ahead of domestic production, which has been growing but not nearly fast enough to keep up. “Demand is definitely outpacing supply,” says Jill Guerra, research and special projects co-ordinator for Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA). “We need more producers […] Read more

Biobeds contain a mix of topsoil, compost and straw to absorb and then break down the pesticides to the point where they pose no further threat to the environment.

Crops

Cleaning up the leftovers

AAFC has prepared a comprehensive manual on how to use “biobeds” to process pesticide sprayer rinsate

By Richard Kamchen March 19, 2019

Reading Time: 5 minutes Despite careful calculation to mix just the right amount of pesticide to cover a field, there’s sometimes that little bit left over, or the rinsate which gets dumped onto a grassy or non-crop area, which can harm the environment. Up to 80 per cent of contaminants found in water bodies trace back to farms, according […] Read more

A weak Canadian dollar is beneficial overall to Canadian farmers as they export the majority of their agricultural products.

Guide Business, News

Black swans

What will it take to knock Canada’s farmland market out of its holding pattern?

By Richard Kamchen November 27, 2018

Reading Time: 4 minutes Canadian dollar “Excluding an extraordinary shock to production or commodity prices, a significant increase in the value of the Canadian dollar would have the biggest impact on the supply of farmland available for sale,” says Saskatchewan realtor Tim Hammond. A weak Canadian dollar is beneficial overall to Canadian farmers as they export the majority of […] Read more

Rolling prairie landscape. Central Alberta, Canada.

Guide Business, News

Less of the same

Realtors report farm sales are slowing and that prices are stabilizing, which may be best for everyone

By Richard Kamchen November 27, 2018

Reading Time: 5 minutes Barring major shocks to the agriculture sector, the outlook is for continued strong farmland values and tight farmland availability in Canada for the foreseeable future. “By and large, we see a very healthy, very robust farmland market out there, and it seems to be continuing,” says Tom Eisenhauer, president and CEO of Toronto-based Bonnefield, Canada’s […] Read more

All three provinces require that farm machinery be covered by a one-year warranty from the date of first use, and that replacement parts be available for 10 years after purchase.

Equipment, Machinery

If you’re not happy with your purchase

All three Prairie provinces have protection for farm equipment purchasers, but the provisions differ

By Richard Kamchen November 21, 2018

Reading Time: 5 minutes If you’ve taken parts or equipment home but they’re not working as promised, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta all have farm implement acts providing for the dealer to repair or replace them. But while the three provinces have some similar protections, they also differ significantly. All deal with the sale, lease and lease-purchase of farm equipment […] Read more

Only 49 per cent of the study’s surveyed producers were committed to lifelong learning.

Guide Business, Management, Marketing

Is the class half full or half empty?

Just under half of Canada’s farmers are committed to lifelong learning. Here’s how it makes a difference

By Richard Kamchen November 14, 2018

Reading Time: 5 minutes “When the human mind is stretched, it never returns to its original size — similar to most new underpants.” That’s a quote from the International Farm Management Congress in Scotland last year, and it’s one that Farm Management Canada (FMC) executive director Heather Watson uses to stress the enduring impact of continuous lifelong learning. “The […] Read more

Farming still remains a lifestyle, but now it's a lifestyle built on a business mindset.

Guide Business, Marketing

How we market today

Smart young Millennials are bringing an incredible new level of intelligence and energy to commodity marketing on a growing number of Canada’s farms. But not on all

By Richard Kamchen September 13, 2018

Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s obvious that today’s farmers have upped their financial management game, working with professionals including accountants and lawyers to build on and execute plans that are miles more sophisticated than ever before. But when it comes to marketing, are our farmers as good at roping in top advice? It depends on the farm, of course, […] Read more

Some farms continue to struggle with market success while others make substantial gains.

Crops, Guide Business

That ugly bottom third

Are farms still selling two-thirds of their crops at the worst market prices?

By Richard Kamchen September 4, 2018

Reading Time: 5 minutes At the very least, the old chestnut that farmers sell two-thirds of their crops is the bottom third of the market does stick in the memory. But is it accurate? Um… maybe. There isn’t much hard proof either way, and as for anecdotal evidence, it seems to depend on who you talk to, which may […] Read more

Alberta’s Crop Management Network expands reach

U.S. livestock: CME cattle, hogs firm on winter weather woes

CGC revises domestic canola usage downward

GFM Network News