Rising land prices have made leaseback financing an attractive option for young farmers, says Bonnefield president Tom Eisenhauer.

Investor says land-grab fears not justified

Bonnefield Financial has raised more than $300 million to buy and lease back Canadian farmland

Reading Time: 5 minutes We’ve all heard it: rumblings in coffee shops and at conferences about land grabbers buying up good farmland. And those rumblings have only grown louder over the past few years, as investors such as the Canadian Pension Plan buy large parcels of cropland in the Prairies. But by and large, those fears can be put […] Read more


A statistical portrait of Alberta ag

A statistical portrait of Alberta ag

Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s Agriculture Statistics Yearbook 2014 is now available. The tables and charts provide both a current and historical perspective, with individual sections on sectors such as crops, livestock, and food and beverages, as well as industry measures and indicators such as farm income, agri-food exports, economic indicators, and the Census of Agriculture. Alberta […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola seesaws with StatsCan report

CNS Canada — ICE Futures Canada canola contracts posted modest losses for the week ended Wednesday, with the January contract falling slightly below the key technical benchmark of $470 per tonne. Still, at least one analyst said he thinks canola is well positioned to climb higher. A bearish Statistics Canada report on Friday pegged canola […] Read more



(Dave Bedard photo)

Huge Canadian canola crop beats expectations

CNS Canada — An upward revision to Canada’s 2015-16 canola crop was widely anticipated in the industry, but Statistics Canada’s latest survey results have surpassed even the most optimistic forecasts — and will lead to major adjustments in the country’s supply/demand balance sheet. StatsCan on Friday pegged the year’s canola production at 17.2 million tonnes, […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Bigger crops anticipated ahead of StatsCan report

CNS Canada –– Canada’s harvest ended up better than expected in 2015-16, with upward revisions expected for the country’s wheat and canola production when Statistics Canada releases its latest survey data Friday. “It turns out that the crop didn’t suffer as much in Alberta and Saskatchewan,” said Jerry Klassen, manager of the Canadian office for […] Read more

StatsCan says the average Alberta family spent $9,300 on food in 2013 — the third-highest expense after shelter and transportation.

The cost of living may be a lot more than you think

Cash flow is king in any business, and farmers need to factor 
in family living costs when preparing their business plans

Reading Time: 2 minutes Now that the 2015 crop is off, it is important to review cash flow projections and marketing plans. That process involves budgeting for family living expenses — a number that may shock you. “In the last five years, family living costs have increased substantially due to inflation and good farm margins,” said Rick Dehod, a […] Read more


Concrete is poured in May for a grain terminal now owned by G3 Grain. Farmer deliveries in September reached their highest level in records since 2001. (CWB.ca)

Grain deliveries hit record high in September

CNS Canada — September was a very busy month for grain handlers in Western Canada, as farmer deliveries into the commercial pipeline hit their highest levels ever. Producers made deliveries of 5.879 million tonnes of the major grains and oilseeds during the month, topping the previous monthly record of 5.819 million tonnes set two years […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

StatsCan comes in at low end of expectations for canola

CNS Canada — Despite an upward revision of nearly a million tonnes in Statistics Canada’s latest report, most analysts expect canola production will keep climbing further. StatsCan on Friday morning released its updated grain/oilseed production estimates, with data collected through surveys taken between Sept. 3 and 13. Canola production numbers came in at 14.3 million […] Read more