Reading Time: 4 minutes The hot weather this summer may cool the price rise for Alberta farmland this winter — but there are still plenty of farmers looking to add acres, say experts. Prior to the drought, the increase in land prices was typical for the first half of the year, said Kuuri Carlson, an appraiser with Farm Credit […] Read more
Land Prices: Interest still high, pocketbooks thinner
Scarce listings get a lot of looks, but drought may curb price rises
U.S. grains: Corn, soy, wheat up after sell-off
Some traders feel Thursday's sell-off overdone
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn, soybean and wheat futures rose sharply on Friday, rebounding from steep declines a day earlier on bargain-buying ahead of the weekend and uncertainty about weather in the Midwest crop belt, analysts said. Fresh export interest lent support as this week’s break in futures appeared to stimulate demand. Chinese state-owned […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy plunge on weather, broad commodities sell-off
CBOT wheat follows trend lower
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures fell sharply on Thursday, pressured by outlooks for rain and cooler temperatures in the Midwest crop belt, as well as spillover from broad-based selling in the commodities sector, analysts said. Wheat followed the weaker trend, with seasonal pressure noted from the U.S. winter wheat harvest. Chicago […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs limit down for second consecutive day
CME August cattle end lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures fell by an exchange-imposed limit for a second consecutive session on Thursday as commodities declined broadly. Selling by index funds fueled losses in markets from hogs to cattle and corn, after the U.S. Federal Reserve signaled it might raise interest rates sooner than expected, […] 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
Machinery costs driving up fixed farming expenses
MarketsFarm — Fixed costs on farms continue to rise year-over-year, a statistic largely attributed to increasing land values and interest rates. At the beginning of 2019, Farm Credit Canada (FCC) reported farmland values across Canada increased by an average of 6.6 per cent during the previous year. But that’s not the main driver of fixed […] 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
FCC offers up new Starter Loans
“Preferential” loan rates are available to young farmers or agribusinesspeople planning start-ups through a new Farm Credit Canada lending program. Lawrence MacAulay, addressing the Canadian Federation of Agriculture’s annual meeting Wednesday in Ottawa when he was still federal minister of agriculture, unveiled the federal ag lending agency’s new Starter Loan Program. The program, according to […] Read more
Ag seen gaining on slightly weaker loonie in 2019
CNS Canada — Farm Credit Canada (FCC) predicts the Canadian dollar will spend the year around the 75-U.S. cent mark — slightly softer than last year’s average of 76. “We’re going to see volatility throughout the year obviously but when we look at that season, or the full year average, we’re looking for it to […] Read more
Trade certainty doesn’t translate to higher loonie
CNS Canada — Even with more certainty around trade with the U.S., Canadians shouldn’t expect to see the dollar flying in value. “It’s hard for me to see the Canadian dollar gain value against the U.S. dollar in the short term, unless the Bank of Canada totally revises its stance towards interest rates,” said J.P. […] Read more