Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier Farmmedia — With interest rates swinging around like apes in the jungle, farmers might feel a lot of pressure to react to their debt and financing situations. Debt and financing decisions today, however, will have a long-term impact, so farmers should be tying decisions to the strategic vision for their operations, Backswath Management consultant […] Read more
Debt decisions need strategy
Take a strategic approach rather than reacting to immediate trends
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
Trump says more farm aid coming amid China trade war
Washington | Reuters — President Donald Trump said on Monday that his administration was planning to provide about US$15 billion in aid to help U.S. farmers whose products may be targeted with tariffs by China amid a deepening trade war. “We’re going to take the highest year, the biggest purchase that China has ever made […] Read more
Trump administration eyes more aid to farmers if necessary
Washington | Reuters — The Trump administration is ready to provide more federal aid to farmers if required, a White House adviser said on Monday, after rolling out up to US$12 billion since last year to offset agricultural losses from the trade dispute with China. “We have allocated $12 billion, some such, to farm assistance. […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans inch up on China purchases
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures inched upward on Thursday on news that Chinese state-owned firms bought at least 500,000 tonnes of U.S. soybeans, while wheat futures dropped to their lowest levels in more than a year on pressure from a strengthening dollar, traders said. Chinese state-owned firms bought the U.S. soybeans for shipment […] Read more
Ag balance sheet points to stable farm economy
CNS Canada — Canadian farmers saw their farm equity climb almost seven per cent last year compared to the year before — and Farm Credit Canada’s principal agricultural economist said that falls in line with FCC’s analysis. Data released by Statistics Canada on Wednesday showed 2017 farm equity climbed to $535.3 billion, up $34.6 billion […] Read more
Farm bankruptcies down, but not out – just different
Winnipeg | CNS Canada – Fewer farms means fewer bankruptcies but with that simple equation comes the realization that the size and tone of those bankruptcies in North America is growing. “They are larger, the amount of debt is greater, the fact that we’re not seeing a higher number doesn’t mean there isn’t considerable distress […] Read more
Farm debt at record highs — but top lender not worried
While FCC says most farmers can handle their debt load, financial expert Merle Good says some are ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’
Reading Time: 4 minutes Farm debt has hit a record high, bringing back some unpleasant memories of the 1980s debt crisis. But we’re not there yet, said farm business expert Merle Good. “In 1980, we had huge inflation and huge interest rates,” said Good, a longtime tax specialist with the provincial government who now runs a private consulting business. […] Read more
Farmers’ debt seen hitting fresh record high
Reuters — Canadian farmers’ debt will likely reach another record high this year, while land appreciation slows and incomes flatten, but the industry is still in strong financial shape, the country’s biggest agriculture lender, Farm Credit Canada, forecast on Tuesday. FCC, the federal Crown ag lending agency, sounded a note of caution for farmers, who […] Read more
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