Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

AgVisionTV.com: Watch the video discussion on Farm Debt and what it means.

This panel discussion looks at what ballooning farm debt could do to agriculture in the coming years.

 

Click on this link to watch the video online.

Views: 131

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tom Cox on January 27, 2010 at 6:10pm
Thanks Kevin, I've always enjoyed your program but never seem to remember to watch on the weekends when its on here. The internet format suits me a lot better.

It would be interesting to break out the Ontario farm debt numbers a little more between those who depend on agriculture as a primary means of income and those where it is supplemental to one or two outside family incomes. If my wife and I both work off farm and earn a decent living and then farm a little bit on the side then my debt load relative to income is going to be a different issue than if the farm is my only source of income. It would be interesting to get at some of the reasons in the large difference between here in Ontario and western Canada.
Permalink Reply by David Kopriva on January 29, 2010 at 5:56am
I am surprised beyond belief about the Ag land price increases over the past few years. The mentality of speculating with Ag land for a quick buck is counter to historical evidence. Ag land is not like the stock market where you can buy stocks and sell the next day if needed. If the market goes sour (like it has), the title holder is stuck with huge minimum interest payments costs incapable of being absorbed by Ag production revenues. Ag land is not easily transferable, it is not a product that has a ready market, it has remained an exclusive commodity for a very small group of buyers and sellers. With the creation of financial instruments such as land trusts this has changed but only slightly. What the land trusts don't understand is the relationship between the land and the sustainers of the land. Historically this relationship goes beyond industrial terminology such as" production, yield, input, etc". I do not believe the relationship between stewardship and land production can or should change. We have good evidence that the past 40-50 years of this type of separation between this inseparable relationship is counter productive to land sustainability.
The present land grab will in short time leave allot of unhappy share holders in land trusts and speculators. It's like a tight wound clock ready to unwind. I see evidence of this unwinding in pockets of the country where high value production land is prized for all the wrong reasons. The Greenbelt Act in Ontario has taken away the opportunity of residential/ commercial land development and is trying to return the land back to it's rightful purpose, that being Ag production. But no one in his/her right mind will buy land at its present price because the prices does not reflect Ag potential. Land has been sitting fallow for a number of years and the last stat. report from the government shows an alarming reduction in farms in the area since 2001. The fundementals of supply and demand have never failed. Whether through government intervention, supply of a commodity or other factors. Land prices will return back to their production values or a continueing exodus from agriculture will continue. The latter scenario is frightening since the agricultural community is the community that feeds the country. Right now the present land values place the citizens of Canada in a position of future food beggers. A reduction in a wide variety of food production will leave us vulnerable to the supply networks of international food production and also makes us vulnerable to their system of agriculture.
As the reader can see there is allot to think about when we as a country talk about land prices. Farmers are amazing people, a profession that is unique in many ways. With speculation on land prices this profession will continue to experience unecessary stress from financial structures that have no place in the sustainability of Canadian agriculture.
Permalink Reply by Roadrunner on January 29, 2010 at 10:09am
Good show Kevin.

I enjoyed watching online...it is a challenge to catch your show on TV some weekends.

Thanks

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

*Webinars* Strategies for Reducing Calf Losses: Veterinary Insights from Across Canada

Are calf losses cutting into your beef operation’s productivity and profitability? You are not alone! The BCRC is hosting two 90-minute webinars featuring veterinarians from across Canada who work directly with cow-calf operations like yours. A March 18 webinar will feature veterinarians who work with Eastern Canadian cow-calf operations, sharing insights on practical prevention strategies to implement before, during and after calving to increase calf survivability. During the March 25 webinar, Western Canadian veterinarians will outline regionally relevant approaches for reducing calf losses, highlighting essential pre-calving strategies and practical management techniques to use during calving to help ensure healthier outcomes for both cows and calves.   Both webinars will include an extended Q&A session, giving you plenty of time to ask questions. Each webinar will also be available for?one continuing education (CE) credit for veterinarians and registered veterinary technologists

China halts tariffs on some Canadian ag

Some Canadian ag products will have tariff-free access to China as of March 1

Farmers Face Harsh Truths While Refusing to Abandon Their Way of Life

A recent post on social media by a friend asked to add a line from a movie that fans of it would instantly recognize. One of my contributions was, “You can’t handle the truth.” While that line came in a courtroom scene from one of my favorite movies with Jack Nicholson yelling it at Tom Cruise, it actually got me thinking about farming. Many of us who grew up on a farm have seen both good and tough times. That is the truth. But what are we currently experiencing and can we handle these truths? American Farm Bureau recently said there was a 46% increase in farm bankruptcies in 2025. That’s pretty sobering. Those of us who grew up during the farm crisis in the 1980s, when more than 250,000 farmers filed for bankruptcy, never want to hear about someone losing a farm. For a few years I’ve personally been concerned about what’s happening in our farming communities. Interest rates have been plenty high; input costs don’t seem to come down when market prices do. Farmers have always been pr

As US agriculture flails, farmers see big corn acres as best bet to break even

U.S. farmers, though punished by slumping prices after last year’s monster corn harvest, are expected to cut back only slightly on their plantings of the grain in 2026 as they brace for a fourth straight year of narrow profit margins or even losses. Farmers expect corn, the most widely grown U.S. crop, to hew close to break-even levels this year, supported by strong usage. Some see soybeans as riskier, given rising competition from Brazil and a volatile U.S. trade relationship with top buyer China. “Right now, you absolutely cannot make money on beans,” said Tim Gregerson, who farms in eastern Nebraska. “You can probably break even on corn, but you are going to have to have an extraordinary yield, or a price increase,” Gregerson said. Most growers in America’s Midwest farm belt grow both crops, alternating what gets planted on each field from year to year to boost soil health. Many add wheat, sorghum, cotton or other crops to their rotations. But among farmers who have some flexible

This is Agriculture: Producer, advocate, industry leader

Jill Verwey lives and breathes agriculture. Her roots growing up on a mixed grain and cattle operation in rural Manitoba lend themselves well to her current roles – the office manager for Verwey Farms Ltd., president of Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP), and first vice president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA). Jill’s pride in Canadian agriculture is unmistakable. Learn more about her career and advocacy journey below. Describe your job or product in one sentence. My role includes managing the day-to-day administration and financial operations of our family farm, overseeing food and animal safety and human resources, and representing agricultural producers provincially and nationally through leadership roles with KAP, CFA, and various boards and advisory groups. Where did you grow up? Was it an agriculture or urban environment? I grew up in rural Manitoba on a mixed grain and cattle operation. I have been married for 32 years, and my husband and I are involved in

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service