File photo of wheat being loaded onto a bulk vessel at port in Russia. (YGrek/iStock/Getty Images)

‘Containergeddon’ drives sugar, rice shippers back to bulk vessels

Reading Time: 2 minutes New York | Reuters — Food traders are switching from containers back to dry bulk vessels to transport refined sugar and rice, hoping to avoid shipping delays caused by container shortages and port congestion the industry is calling “containergeddon,” according to traders. Container-based transportation has been hit by sky-high costs and delays amid booming shipping […] Read more

File photo of a soybean plantation in Brazil. (Mailson Pignata/iStock/Getty Images)

More acres seen needed worldwide to meet mounting crops demand

U.S. acres may have already hit ceiling: AgResource chief

Reading Time: 2 minutes Geneva | Reuters — Farmers need more space to grow crops to meet mounting demand for food and renewable fuel at a time of slowing growth in yields, consultancy AgResource said on Tuesday. A renewable fuel push under U.S. President Joe Biden’s climate agenda is set to trigger a boom in soyoil use, reinforcing a […] Read more


A City of Iqaluit worker fills a water truck at the Sylvia Grinnell River after authorities ordered the Nunavut capital’s 7,000 residents not to drink the city’s water due to suspected fuel contamination, on Oct. 14, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Casey Lessard)

Iqaluit confirms ‘exceedingly high levels’ of fuel in water supply

Water not safe for cooking or drinking, city says

Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters –– The Canadian city of Iqaluit said lab results confirmed that fuel had entered its water supply, officials announced Friday. Analysis of samples from one of the city’s water tanks found “exceedingly high levels of various fuel components,” Amy Elgersma, Iqaluit’s chief administrative officer, said, adding it was likely diesel or kerosene. Residents in […] Read more

(Andreus/iStock/Getty Images)

Hay-starved Prairies fertile ground for online scammers

At least $64,000 lost in Alberta alone, RCMP says

Reading Time: 2 minutes High demand, scarce supplies and rising prices for hay and other feeds due to this summer’s drought on the Prairies have made a market for online scammers, RCMP warn. The urgency driving such transactions may cause ranchers, farmers and farm workers to make purchases “without taking time to properly verify or research production sources,” Alberta […] Read more


A view near the Canadian end of the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Windsor and Detroit and is considered one of North America’s busiest trade routes. (Steven_Kriemadis/iStock/Getty Images)

White House heeded pressure to reopen Canada border, U.S. lawmaker says

Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — A U.S. congressman from New York said on Wednesday that political pressure had persuaded the White House to end a historic 19-month closure of its land borders with Canada and Mexico to millions of non-essential foreign visitors. Representative Brian Higgins, a Democrat representing a district along the Canadian border, said: “You […] Read more

As in most farm decisions, it really does come down to cash flow and timing.

When is a good time to incorporate your farm?

Incorporating isn’t right for everyone, but it can often help the farm grow and prepare for the future

Reading Time: 4 minutes Should you incorporate your farm? It’s a decision with many moving parts, combining tax planning with growth strategies. And it’s a decision more and more farmers are making. The 2016 census showed about half of all Canadian farms were sole proprietorships, 23 per cent were partnerships and about a quarter were corporations. Successful farms depend […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Port of Los Angeles)

‘Containergeddon’: Supply crisis drives Walmart, rivals to hire own ships

Bulk grain ships pressed into container service

Reading Time: 4 minutes Los Angeles | Reuters — The Flying Buttress once glided across the oceans carrying vital commodities such as grain to all corners of the world. Now it bears a different treasure: Paw Patrol Movie Towers, Batmobile Transformers and Baby Alive Lulu Achoo dolls. The dry bulk cargo ship has been drafted into the service of […] Read more

A novel approach to estate planning

A novel approach to estate planning

Guide Books Review: To your accountant, the target is to cut estate taxes. Your goal, though, can be to make your prosperity last for generations

Reading Time: 3 minutes The Naked Opus: Growing Your Family Wealth for the Long TermBy Chris Delaney This is a great read, tackling one of the most difficult topics every farm must face. How can a family build a future that lasts for generations instead of frittering away what it has worked so hard to achieve? So let’s start […] Read more


(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Bayer wins its first Roundup jury verdict in case of child’s cancer

Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Bayer won its first trial over claims its Roundup herbicide causes cancer after a California jury found that the herbicide was not a substantial cause of a child’s rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the company said on Tuesday. Destiny Clark alleged that her son Ezra developed Burkitt’s lymphoma after he was exposed to […] Read more

Move out, move on

Move out, move on

When it’s time to move to town or to sell off the old farm home, the whole family can feel they’ve got a stake in the decision. So how can anything get done?

Reading Time: 5 minutes Moving homes can be a very emotional experience for anyone, but for farm families, it’s doubly so. “When the family home is also the place of business, there is an interconnectedness in the heart of the family and the heart of the business,” says Boissevain, Man. farm family coach Elaine Froese. Whether the next generation […] Read more