Getting timely access to a veterinarian can be challenging for many livestock farmers. It’s not only a problem for Canadian farmers: a shortage of veterinarians is being felt around the globe, as farmers across the U.S., the UK, and Australia struggle to find health care for their animals, says Dr. Colin Yates, CEO of a… Read More

Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) has named Ashley Honsberger as its new executive director, effective October 9, 2023. Andrew Graham, the current ED, will retire after a celebrated career spanning 43 years, 33 of those with OSCIA. He served as executive director at Soil and Crop for more than eight years. Honsberger has… Read More

Farmers haven’t significantly changed loan makeup on farms, and are sticking with variable rate loans this year compared to sixteen months ago. The number of farmers with all fixed-rate loans has held steady in the same time frame. That’s according to the latest survey from the RealAgristudies Insights Panel, which ran late last month with… Read More

Farm Management Canada has opened nominations for an award that was established over twenty years ago to honour those that have made an extraordinary contribution to developing and promoting new and positive change in agricultural business management practices and expertise in Canada. Individuals or groups can be nominated for the 2023 Wilson Loree Award, if… Read More

The Bank of Canada overnight rate has risen sharply since early 2022 and has held above 4 per cent since December (see below). The longer the period of increased interest rates continues, the more likely it is farmers will have to renew some loans or take on new debt in this time of more expensive… Read More

Half a dozen national farm organizations and their members are raising concerns about unintended consequences from the federal government’s Underused Housing Tax (UHT) that took effect last year. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Canadian Cattle Association, National Cattle Feeders Association, Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada, Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, and Canadian Canola… Read More

Statistics Canada (StatsCan) has published data providing a socioeconomic snapshot of Canada’s evolving farm population. As of 2021, the farm population represents just 1.6 per cent of the total population in Canada. But how are they categorized? Data from the census shows that the face of Canada’s farm population is changing — farm households are… Read More