Hursh Comment

A year ago, I wrote about Farm Credit Canada coming out with an interesting analysis of the rent to price ratio for farmland across the country. A new report has now been released reflecting cash rental rates negotiated in the fall of 2022. The rental rates report generates much less attention than FCC’s Farmland Values …

The cost of money has changed dramatically as we head into a new growing season. Over the past year to supposedly battle inflation, the Bank of Canada has steadily increased its trendsetting rate and interest is now a much bigger farm management consideration. A couple ways exist to potentially turn this to a producer’s advantage. …

I hadn’t planned to grow canola. I’ve been growing brown mustard as the oilseed in my rotation. But plans change and I’ll again be putting some canola in the ground in the traditionally dry Palliser Triangle. Why the change? Mainly economics, but also some weed control considerations. I’ve grown canola before, but it’s been a …

Saskatchewan Crop Insurance has made a substantive change in how it calculates premiums for its multi-peril program. As producers see their coverage and premium information, there are many questions and some glaring inequities. The previous system of premium discounts and surcharges is gone. Apparently, premiums weren’t responding quickly enough to account for the true insurance …

As farmers, we’ve escaped the brunt of public scrutiny over rising food prices. Most of the finger pointing has been at the big grocers for what some call greedflation. In truth, rising food prices are caused by many factors and this includes what farmers are paid. The record high grain prices of the past couple …

If you wade through published statistics on farm income levels, it’s clear that farm families no longer take a backseat to the general population. Not long ago, even with adding off-farm income to farming income, the total lagged the family income levels of the general population. Not so any more. On average, farm families are …

“How are you doing?” old acquaintances will ask. My standard reply has become, “Old, grey, fat, lazy. Did I mention old? Can’t remember.” “Still farming?” they ask. When I confirm that indeed I still am, their next question, whether verbalized or not is often about when retirement will occur. I don’t feel that old, but …

As the woke wave continues to gain momentum, some worry it will have a tsunami impact on agriculture. The fears have merit. The most blatant example is European farm policy mandating less fertilizer, fewer crop protection products and more organic production. The measures are particularly severe in the Netherlands where agriculture is in a downward …

In it’s January 20th Outlook for Principal Field Crops, the market analysis group of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada includes seeded acreage projections for the growing season ahead. Many of the projections seem plausible, with some notable exceptions. All wheat, excluding durum, is expected to see a 4 per cent acreage increase, which seems reasonable given …

Have you ever heard of Konstantin Kisin? I hadn’t until a saw his short, but brilliant speech on social media. The topic: woke culture has gone too far. Look it up. It’s really entertaining. Kisin is described as a satirist, author and political commentator. As someone often billed as a comedian, you might assume he …

As farmers, an array of concerns might keep us awake on any particular night, but one fundamental issue bedevils many farms on an ongoing basis without any easy answers – access to farmland. Regarding when and how to market your grain, there’s no shortage of advice even though it can often be contradictory. The same …

The federal government has released a discussion document for the development of a sustainable agriculture strategy. Wading through all the buzzwords and motherhood statements is rather tedious, but the document does provide some insight into government thinking and how future programs are likely to unfold. Let’s start with some positives, some praiseworthy statements amidst all …