Articles Written by Richard Kamchen

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“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

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

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

Truckers appreciate improved grain storage areas and equipment, and more room to manoeuvre Super-Bs.

Crops, Equipment

The view from the driver’s seat

The grain storage and transportation system depends more than ever on truckers. Here’s how that looks from their side of the windshield

By Richard Kamchen August 9, 2018

Discussions about Prairie grain transportation efficiency tend to focus on railways, railways — and railways. Often lost in the century-plus-old feud between farmers and the railroads is the connection between them — the truckers. The system can’t get along without them, and they’ve become even more important due to elevator and branch line closures. We […] Read more

The falling number test requires laboratory-like conditions, and is usually only done at selected central locations when there is a general concern about sprout damage.

Cereals, Crops

Better than meets the eye?

Canada’s quality-control system still has a lot of support, but some are calling for grades to be determined by machines, not the human eye

By Richard Kamchen March 7, 2018

Is that No. 2 CWRS just as good for milling and baking as a No. 1? Or does that No. 1 CWRS have some quality damage that can’t be seen with the naked eye, making it no better than a No. 2? The answer could be yes in both cases, sometimes, in cases that might […] Read more

Dutch distributor buys Manitoba Claas dealerships

Cash wheat: Bids get support from U.S. gains

Ample world malt barley supply to limit export prices

GFM Network News