Higher interest rates don’t seem to be affecting the ratio between land values and land rental costs — at least, not yet. Farm Credit Canada’s latest analysis of farmland rental prices says they’re roughly maintaining their traditional linkage, says J.P Gervais, the organization’s chief economist. “We were curious to see whether that would bring up […] Read more
Buy or rent? Land rent-to-price ratio can help farmers decide
FCC sees current ratios on farmland as (roughly) stable
Bidding open for Merit Foods for two more weeks
Stakeholder Burcon plans to put up 'compelling bid'
The fate of Winnipeg pea- and canola-based protein processor Merit Functional Foods won’t be confirmed until the end of April at the earliest. Merit, whose major shareholders include Vancouver plant-based protein firm Burcon NutraScience, U.S. agrifood firm Bunge and former executives of Hemp Oil Canada, was placed into receivership March 1. According to the first […] Read more
Food sales grew but margins tightened in 2022, FCC says
Modest further growth expected this year
Food and beverages sales increased in Canada last year, even as margins hit an historic low and consumers chose Canadian less. According to the latest FCC Food and Beverage Report, released Tuesday, sales increased 11 per cent to $156 billion in 2022. These gains came largely from higher export values and strength in the grain […] Read more
Alberta farmland values up 10 per cent on average
Alberta's increase comes in below a national average that exceeded expectations
Reading Time: 4 minutes Average Alberta farmland values rose 10 per cent in 2022, according to Farm Credit Canada statistics released March 13. That’s less than the 12.8 per cent average for the rest of the country, but it’s the largest increase the province has seen since 2015, when prices rose 11.6 per cent. Last year’s figure follows increases […] Read more
Merit Foods stakeholder looking to buy company
Burcon 'actively engaged' with company's receiver
One of the joint-venture owners of Winnipeg pea and canola protein processor Merit Functional Foods says it’s in talks to buy full control of the cash-strapped company. Two days after Merit entered a court-ordered receivership, Vancouver-based Burcon NutraScience announced Friday it “intends to submit a formal proposal to acquire the business.” Burcon said Merit’s receivership […] Read more
EDC executive to lead Farm Credit Canada
Justine Hendricks to replace retiring Michael Hoffort
Canada’s federal farm lender is importing its next chief executive from Export Development Canada. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Wednesday announced the appointment of Justine Hendricks, EDC’s senior vice-president and chief corporate sustainability officer since 2019, as FCC’s new CEO effective Jan. 30, 2023. As CEO, Hendricks replaces Michael Hoffort, an FCC staffer since […] Read more
Farm equipment demand to remain high, FCC says
Low inventories, high commodity prices and a good crop place pressure on demand
Demand for farm equipment should remain high through 2023 despite higher interest rates and projected price increases, according to Farm Credit Canada. The federal ag lender has released an outlook on the farm equipment market that analyzed data and trends that affect the market. While the outlook attributes much of the current demand to relatively […] Read more
FCC offers boost for sustainable beef
Reading Time: < 1 minute Livestock producers who have loans from Farm Credit Canada can get a rebate of up to $2,000 if they are certified under Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef protocols. The initiative (called the FCC Sustainability Incentive Program) was hailed by roundtable chair Anne Wasko, who said more beef buyers are looking for beef produced under the […] Read more
Rate of rise in farmland value ‘surprised’ in 2021
Canada books 8.3 per cent year-over-year increase, FCC reports
MarketsFarm — Despite a year of economic uncertainty due to extreme weather, reduced crop yields and the COVID-19 pandemic, the value of Canadian farmland rose by its highest rate in four years, according to a report from Farm Credit Canada (FCC). FCC’s report, released Monday, revealed that the national average value of farmland increased by […] Read more
Farmland appreciation continues through pandemic year
FCC report puts Canada's average land value increase at 5.4 per cent
Economic churn across Canada from the global COVID-19 pandemic didn’t faze the country’s real estate market — nor its farmland market in particular — in 2020, according to the latest review from the federal farm lending agency. Farm Credit Canada on Monday released its 2020 Farmland Values report, showing an average increase of 5.4 per […] Read more
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