Chicago | Reuters — President Donald Trump’s tariff battle with key buyers of U.S. apples, soybeans and corn threatens the support of some of his biggest backers — U.S. farmers now seeing their livelihoods in jeopardy. Farmers overwhelmingly supported Trump in the 2016 election, welcoming how he championed rural economies and vowed to repeal estate […] Read more
Trump’s tariff war threatens to erode support of farmers
Fertilizer prices look to rise by late summer
CNS Canada — A rise in prices for soybeans and other crops could make fertilizer more expensive in the coming months, according to a major player in the industry. In the May market report from the Mosaic Co., the company credited the rally in agricultural commodity prices, the strengthening of key currencies and various Indian […] Read more
Margins are tight — will you be able to squeeze out a profit this year?
Management specialist Dean Dyck says have a break-even budget, buy inputs early, and forget about machinery purchases
Reading Time: 3 minutes The weak Canadian dollar and a drop in prices are going to make it tough for crop producers to make a profit this year. Tough, but not impossible, says a provincial farm business management specialist. “You can make a profit this year,” said Dean Dyck. “I took a look at the four major crops in […] Read more
Trends for 2016: Pulses expected to steal acres from cereals
CNS Canada — Canadian farmers are expected to seed more pulse crops at the expense of cereals in 2016, according to early projections from industry experts looking at current market trends. “Definitely we’ll see an increase in pulse crop acreage,” said Bruce Burnett, weather and crop specialist at G3 Canada. Lentils and peas are seeing […] Read more
U.S. sees El Nino as near-certain to last through summer
New York | Reuters — The El Nino climate phenomenon is almost certain to last through the Northern Hemisphere summer, the U.S. weather forecaster said, raising the chance of heavy rain in the southern U.S. as well as South America, and scorching heat in Asia that could devastate crops of thirsty food staples like rice. […] Read more
Farmers forced to accept high land rents despite low crop prices
Grain prices are way down, but it’s expected land rents will take awhile to follow suit
Reading Time: 3 minutes Crop prices have plunged, but land rents look like they’ll stay high for a while. “I know that there are guys around here who are renting land for way more than it’s worth,” said Kelly Burkhardt, a Wetaskiwin grain and cattle farmer who rents 450 of his 1,000 acres of cropland. “At the end of […] Read more
Traders squeezed as Indian farmers turn stockpile gamblers
Access to low-interest capital allowing some farmers to wait rather than sell at lower prices immediately after harvest
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farmers such as 68-year-old Ghanshyam Gokale are quietly shaking up agricultural commodity trading in India, forcing the likes of top soybean processor Ruchi Soya to shift its business model away from futures contracts and towards the “spot” market. Gokale, and other prosperous growers like him, has stopped selling his crops immediately after harvesting. Instead, he […] Read more
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