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Farm cash receipts rise in first half of 2025 on livestock gains

Crop receipts roughly level, direct payments fall on reduced crop insurance

Reading Time: 2 minutes Farm cash receipts in the first half of the year were up 3.3 per cent over the same period last year buoyed by livestock receipts. Overall receipts between January and June totalled $49.6 billion, up $1.6 billion from the same period last year, Statistics Canada reported.

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A guide to farm financial ratios

Long lists of available financial ratios can be overwhelming. Here are three financial ratios that matter to bankers and how understanding them can strengthen your farm’s financial future

Reading Time: 7 minutes Some farm managers love to spend the winter poring over their financial statements and analyzing all ratios and indicators and how they’ve changed over time.  Others would rather be outside working with cattle or at conferences learning the latest disease management techniques.  If you’re not in the first category, your banker might know more about […] Read more


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Why do farmers hate paying taxes?

Reading Time: 3 minutes It didn’t take long in my accounting career to learn that farmers don’t like paying income tax. No one does really, but farmers seem to have a particular disdain for sending money to Ottawa. I think there are a few reasons for this. One is cash basis income tax treatment which means farmers can often […] Read more

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Canadian farm liabilities outpaced equity growth in 2024

Farmers see declining ability to service debt for second consecutive year

Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian farmers' total equity growth slowed for the first time in five years in 2024 as liabilities grew faster than assets, Statistics Canada reported. Farmland prices led to most of the growth, while declining farm income led to less ability to service debts.



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USDA forecasts smaller drop in 2024 farm income

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – U.S. farm income will fall for a second consecutive year in 2024, but not as much as previously expected as prices of livestock and egg products boom and production expenses ease, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Thursday. Declining farm income could ripple across the rural economy in a presidential […] Read more


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Farm equity, asset values up in 2023: StatCan

Farms' ability to pay debts declined but balance sheet remains strong

Reading Time: 2 minutes The total equity of the Canadian farm sector rose nearly eight per cent in 2023 while farm assets rose more than seven per cent according to Statistics Canada’s 2023 balance sheet.