Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters – DowDuPont Inc said it expects higher raw material costs to hit all its units for the rest of the year even as an uptick in its agriculture business helped the U.S. chemicals producer beat Street estimates for the fourth straight quarter. Shares of the company fell 3 percent to $66.11 in morning trade and […] Read more
DowDuPont sees higher raw material costs, shares fall
Bunge posts surprise loss on trade-related soy hedges
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Global grains merchant Bunge Ltd reported a surprise quarterly loss on Wednesday as its agribusiness unit took a $125 million hit from soybean hedges tied to the trade dispute between the United States and China. Shares of the White Plains, New York-based company fell 2.9 percent in early trading to $67.10 […] Read more
ADM earnings double, helped by U.S.-China trade row
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Archer Daniels Midland Co’s net profits doubled in the second quarter and beat Wall Street estimates, after a drought in Argentina and the U.S.-China trade spat boosted the U.S. grain merchant’s trading and oilseed processing businesses. Shares were up 1 percent at $47.86 after touching a three-year high on the New […] Read more
Prepping the kids for the financial reality of farm ownership
It may be the biggest question of all. When is the right time to give the kids a voice in business planning?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Now that summer’s on the doorstep, the kids are home from school, and your planning and preparation for the growing season are over, it’s an ideal time to have some important conversations with your family members around succession planning. As anyone who has gone through the process knows, succession planning within the family can be […] Read more
Between spouses
Formalizing the informal partnership
Reading Time: 3 minutes Joint ownership between spouses has been a long-standing fixture in the farming community, with each holding equal influence when it comes to making key business decisions. It is widely acknowledged and recognized that spouses are key influencers in business decisions. They have always stood front and centre in financial negotiations, are equal participants in professional […] Read more
Smarter than you think
Here’s what your kids come home having learned about business at ag college. It’s much, much more than even a few years ago
Reading Time: 9 minutes When Colin Penner enrolled as a student in the University of Manitoba’s agricultural diploma program 10 years ago, he had to prepare a business plan for his farm. Today, he is back at the U of M as an instructor, teaching other students how to complete today’s planning assignments, which are miles ahead. Preparing a […] Read more
The big 4
Where are all the mergers and acquisitions in the crop protection and seed sectors going to leave the individual farmer?
Reading Time: 9 minutes Sorting out who owns who in today’s agricultural supply sector is a bit like looking at that rat’s nest of cords and surge protectors behind your desk. Everyone’s too afraid to touch it because it’s so complicated and intertwined. Besides, it seems to be working, so why bother? Except… Canadian farmers spend billions in seed, […] Read more
Raising your farm’s importance
Making your farm more valuable to your suppliers can move you a big step up the success ladder
Reading Time: 5 minutes In some ways, of course, farming is unique. In other ways, though, it’s got the same concerns as every other business, because like other business owners, farmers must deal with various other businesses all through the year. What can farmers do to improve those business relationships, or at the very least to prevent hiccups in […] Read more
Fertilizer producer Nutrien to keep Saskatchewan base, says Wall
Reading Time: < 1 minute Winnipeg | Reuters – Nutrien Ltd, the fertilizer company formed this week by a merger of Potash Corp of Saskatchewan and Agrium, has committed to establishing its head office in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and increasing corporate office jobs there, Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall said on Thursday. Wall said that in recent meetings, Nutrien’s […] Read more
The value of a handshake
Reading Time: 4 minutes When I think of the greatest farm leaders today, I think of those who have experienced some incredibly tough moments and who, when their values were tested, stayed true to who they are. I think of those I saw stand their ground during difficult situations, often with the next generation watching. These moments stand out […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
