Hursh Comment

Farmland prices in Saskatchewan continue to increase. The 2009 values have just been released by Statistics Canada. This is the average value of farmland and buildings in each province. The average value for Saskatchewan has increased to $498 an acre, up from $453 in 2008 and $408 an acre back in 2007. The last few …

The November Pool Return Outlook was released yesterday. Wheat values were mostly down a bit, durum was up a little bit, while the malting barley PRO declined by $7 a tonne as compared to last month. What’s notable about prices this year is that the low grades still have pretty good value. You might not …

The latest farm income numbers from Statistics Canada show that 2008 and 2009 were record high years for farm income in Saskatchewan. In both years, realized net income on Saskatchewan farms topped $1.6 billion, the highest levels ever. For 2009, the realized net income from Saskatchewan represents half of the realized net income for the …

The George Morris Centre, an agricultural think tank located at Guelph, has just released a great paper on Canada’s supply management system for the dairy industry. Authored by Al Mussell, he paper argues for a reasoned analysis of the system, rather than the polarized debate we typically hear. There are also a lot of interesting …

Over the 40 year history of Canadian Western Agribition, the show has served as a Canadian launch pad for new livestock species. Many have gone by the wayside over the years, while a few have thrived. While they never garnered big attention like bison, Boer goats have followed a similar trajectory. Breeding stock for these …

The bison industry has seen a lot of changes over the years. The 27th Annual Convention of the Canadian Bison Association is underway in Regina. A bison show and sale will be part of Canadian Western Agribition. Bison meat prices have never been higher. Back in 2003 in the wake of the BSE crisis, prices …

There’s a new information source for people who want to keep track of the cattle market. Sandy Russell of Spring Creek Land & Cattle Consulting has launched a weekly commentary called The Bottom Line. Sandy Russell has provided production expertise and market analysis for years. She has also been involved in policy development. I can’t …

The Canada Grains Council meeting that wrapped up yesterday in Ottawa provided a great example of the persuasive powers of Canada’s two major railways. One of the sessions at the meeting was to garner reaction to the draft recommendations of the Rail Freight Services Review. The review recognizes that the railways have inordinate market power …

There have been some interesting discussions as a result of my producer election commentaries from the past two days. Here are some additional thoughts. I’ve had discussions with a couple of the producers running for Canadian Wheat Board director positions – candidates that support marketing choice, but haven’t mentioned that in their election information. These …

Democracy doesn’t just happen It’s election season for farmers. Not only did rural municipalities recently have elections, but producers have received ballots in the mail for director elections to the Canadian Wheat Board, Saskatchewan Pulse Growers and SaskCanola. I have some pet peeves on elections. Election activity in rural municipalities was up across the province …

It’s a curious strategy. As pointed out in a front page Western Producer story by Adrian Ewins, none of the candidates running in the Canadian Wheat Board election is identifying themselves as being a supporter of marketing choice or a dual market. In all the other CWB elections, virtually all the candidates clearly identified themselves as …

Usually, a subsidy to transport livestock feed isn’t a good policy. However, in the case of the ongoing excess moisture problems faced by some livestock producers, this week’s provincial announcement of a transportation subsidy is a logical approach. During bad drought years, there are often calls for feed freight subsidies, but when feed is in …