Reading Time: 3 minutes Reuters – Australian potato farmer Tom Fox says he had never missed a bank payment in two decades before a delay sending a shipment to Indonesia during a trade dispute between the countries prompted his lender to force him into receivership in 2013. “I got a letter from the bank lawyers saying I had 12 […] Read more
Australian banks face rural lending reckoning
Agriculture borrowers say banks need a shorter leash and call for a compulsory farm debt mediation system
Farm bankruptcies down, but not out – just different
Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg | CNS Canada – Fewer farms means fewer bankruptcies but with that simple equation comes the realization that the size and tone of those bankruptcies in North America is growing. “They are larger, the amount of debt is greater, the fact that we’re not seeing a higher number doesn’t mean there isn’t considerable distress […] Read more
Pulses stranded at sea as shipping company flounders
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — The bankruptcy of a major Korean shipping company has raised some concerns for Canadian pulse crops moving by container, but any disruptions to movement will likely be minor, according to an industry analyst. Hanjin Shipping Co., the world’s seventh-largest container shipping company, declared bankruptcy on Aug. 31, leaving more than half of […] Read more
Farm failures
Big bankruptcies make big headlines, but smaller farms are under pressure too
Reading Time: 5 minutes Their names are widely known, including Wigmore Farms, Broadacre Agriculture, Big Sky Farms, BioExx Specialty Proteins, and others. They’re among the high-profile farms and agri-businesses that have shipwrecked in recent years and applied for creditor protection. Each has a story that’s unique, but their stories seem to share a lot of similarities too. The explanations […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
