The federal Liberals’ platform heading into the Oct. 21 election calls for an “expanded and enhanced” role for Farm Credit Canada in supporting the country’s agriculture and agrifood sectors. Platform documents released Sunday last week (Sept. 29) call for the merger of several existing federal financial and advisory services — which the Liberals said are […] Read more
Liberals pledge revamp of federal farm lender
FCC to offer flexibility in hurricane-battered areas
Farm Credit Canada says it plans to help its farmer clients in Atlantic Canada work around financial pressures following Hurricane Dorian’s passage through the region over the weekend. “We won’t know the full extent of damage for some time, but we’ve already heard that some customers will likely be facing some financial hardship as a […] Read more
Event offers chance to get up close to leading-edge ag tech
Olds College offering hands-on demos and displays of the ‘latest and greatest’ in advanced technology
Reading Time: 3 minutes Ag technology is advancing faster than ever before — but farmers still aren’t always sure how to make these innovations work on their own operations. “Technology is such a huge component of agriculture going into the future. It’s making agriculture more sustainable, more productive and more profitable,” said Joy Agnew, director of applied research at […] Read more
Struggling with cash flow? Take a second look at these farm lending programs
Giving yourself some financial breathing room can make your operation stronger — and reduce your stress
Reading Time: 5 minutes Hammered by dry weather and trade upheaval, many Alberta producers are struggling with cash flow. And more will be in the months ahead. But there is help out there. “It’s important for producers to know that there are more options out there than they may realize,” said Don Anderson, Farm Credit Canada’s senior vice-president of […] Read more
Drive Away Hunger campaign underway
Reading Time: < 1 minute Donations of cash and food are now being accepted at Farm Credit Canada offices for this year’s Drive Away Hunger campaign. The initiative supports meal programs in 100 schools across the country and since its inception, has provided more than 50 million meals. According to Food Banks Canada, more than four million Canadians — both […] Read more
Flexibility available for farmers on FCC loan payments
Farm Credit Canada says it remains willing to work around the various forces majeures standing between its farmer clients and their cash flows this year. The Crown lending agency reiterated Monday it will work with customers “to come up with solutions for their operations on a case-by-case basis” in view of this spring’s weather worries […] Read more
China, drought, debt shake Canadian farm finances
Winnipeg/Ottawa | Reuters — For years, the financial stability of Canadian farmers was the envy of their U.S. counterparts, but rising costs, drought and a dispute with China have weakened their bottom lines. Net incomes plunged last year, and that setback was followed in March by China’s halting purchases of canola, Canada’s biggest crop. Now […] Read more
College adds ‘data lab’ to Smart Farm
Reading Time: < 1 minute Farm Credit Canada is donating $200,000 over the next four years for a “data lab” at Olds College’s Smart Farm. The lab is a technologically advanced workspace, available for students, instructors, and industry partners “to meet, collaborate and learn,” the college said in a news release. “The AgExpert Data Lab brings together data from our […] Read more
Red-hot land market shows signs of cooling
Prices have soared for nearly a decade but that trend may be coming to an end
Reading Time: 4 minutes The price of Alberta farmland took another big jump last year — but there are strong signs the red-hot bull market is finally cooling off. Overall, Canadian acres saw their smallest price increase in nearly a decade, and the amount of land changing hands dropped as many would-be buyers either stayed on the sidelines or […] Read more
Report shows slower pace for rising farmland values
While lower-valued farmland more often showed a higher rate of increase, and price hikes varied from region to region, Canada’s farmland values on average have booked their slowest year-over-year rate of increase in almost a decade. That’s according to the annual Farmland Values Report from Farm Credit Canada (FCC), in which the federal ag lending […] Read more
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