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CFFO Blog's Blog – December 2010 Archive (4)

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The CFFO Commentary: Christmas and the Difference it makes for Farming

By John Clement

December 24, 2010



I'm not by nature a person devoted to creeds and confessions, but every once in awhile something will strike me as particularly meaningful in one of those documents. At this Christmas season, some of the words found in the beginning of the Heidelberg Catechism strike me as appropriate. The question is asked "what is your only comfort in life and death?"… Continue

Added by CFFO Blog on December 24, 2010 at 6:34am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary:Farm Policy Increasingly Needs to Pay Heed to the “Missing Middle”

By John Clement

The challenges of farm policy used to be simpler. Most farms in most commodities were about the same size and generated somewhat comparable farm revenues. But those days have been leaving us for awhile now, with new challenges emerging about how to deliver public support that is both fair and appropriate to changes in the scale of production. 

 Increasingly, farming and public interest groups are noting that we are starting to experience what could be called the…

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Added by CFFO Blog on December 17, 2010 at 7:00am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: Farmers Matter and Need to Build Goodwill with Consumers

By Henry Stevens

There is general agreement in the farm community that a number of our commodities are in serious financial difficulty and face an uncertain future. There is also general agreement on why family farms in those sectors are facing such difficulties. Where there is less agreement is “how do we solve those problems and…

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Added by CFFO Blog on December 10, 2010 at 6:13am — No Comments

The CFFO Commentary: New Agricultural Opportunities in Bio-Products

By Nathan Stevens

There are some industry leaders that would argue that one of the greatest opportunities for farmers in the next 20 years will be the development of the bio-products sector. At a recent information session held by the Wellington…

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Added by CFFO Blog on December 3, 2010 at 4:45am — No Comments

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Canadian Beef Check-Off Agency Scholarship Winner

The Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off Agency is pleased to announce that Ryan Trefiak of Edgerton, AB has been awarded the 2026 $2000 scholarship. Ryan is pursuing studies in Agricultural Systems Technologies at Iowa State University. This year’s judging panel noted they were impressed by the quality and dedication of all candidates, making the selection process a difficult one. Since its launch, the scholarship program has grown into one of the Agency’s most wide-reaching communications initiatives, connecting with students across the beef industry and helping support the next generation of leaders in Canadian agriculture. Congratulations, Ryan! We wish you continued success in your studies.

Field Week: Covering distance, literally and academically

There is only so much environmental science that can be learned in a classroom or science lab. Field experience is woven throughout Lakeland College’s environmental sciences programs, with labs taking place in the natural spaces on and around campus throughout the year. Each year, however, that experience is intensified during Field Week. That’s when second-year environmental sciences students find themselves knee-deep in the river electrofishing, setting up and checking small mammal traps, deploying autonomous recording units, constructing bat houses, capturing, banding and releasing songbirds, reading soil profiles, touring mine sites and assessing wetlands. “I love the hands-on experience,” says Mackenzie Hamm, a second-year environmental sciences student majoring in wildlife and fisheries conservation. “We’ve got to learn quite a few different things. It really brings into context what we’re learning in the classroom, so I can actually apply all of that theory that we’ve been doi

Growing the future: Judy Sweet invests in Lakeland’s ag students

Judy Sweet is continuing her longstanding support of Lakeland College agricultural sciences students by investing in the Student-Managed Farm (SMF) Lab Revitalization project. Sweet’s gift will support upgrades to the calving barn on the Vermilion campus farm, enhancing agricultural teaching, applied research, animal care and industry collaboration. The improvements will also strengthen facility functionality, sustainability and long-term operational capacity. “Judy Sweet’s generosity is an investment in the future of agriculture and in the students who will lead it,” says Dr. Alice Wainwright-Stewart, president and CEO of Lakeland College. “Her continued support of Lakeland’s Student-Managed Farm helps us provide the modern facilities and hands-on learning experiences our students need to put their education into action. This gift will strengthen animal care, help advance applied research and prepare graduates to make a meaningful impact in this essential industry. We are deeply gra

Canada could add $5.4B to GDP by processing more of its crops at home: EY

Canada could generate up to $5.4 billion in additional GDP and support approximately 34,000 full-time-equivalent jobs by redirecting just 10 per cent of its raw crop exports to value-added processing here at home, according to new EY analysis released today by Protein Industries Canada. The findings come as the federal government has made domestic food processing a national priority through its National Food Security Strategy. The strategy calls for Canada to reduce its dependence on other countries by processing more of the food it grows and sets an explicit objective to increase domestic processing to strengthen self-sufficiency and drive economic growth. Canada already has an extraordinary foundation to build from. Its food and agriculture sector contributed $149.2 billion to GDP in 2024 and supported 2.3 million jobs, while Canada remains a leading producer of major crops including wheat, canola and corn. But too often, Canadian crops leave the country before the higher-value pro

Thiesse, Parman discuss farm economy, tight margins at Big Iron

Live from the Big Iron Farm and Construction Show on Wednesday, Sept. 16, Kent Thiesse, farm management analyst, and Bryon Parman, NDSU farm management specialist, joined the Red River Farm Network’s “Issues and Events Center” to discuss the farm economy and the tight margins farmers are dealing with. The conversation kicked off with both guests discussing their concerns when it comes to farm balance sheets heading into 2027. “I think there’s certainly some positivity out there in the markets,” Thiesse said. “We’ve seen a runup in both corn and soybean prices, even wheat prices. Unfortunately, we’ve also seen a runup in input costs, as well. Fertilizer costs a year ago at this time were a big concern. They’ve kind of leveled out, but they haven’t really come down much. “As we look forward and start running the pencil for next year, even with higher commodity prices, we’re maybe breakeven on soybeans and we’re in the red with corn based on the numbers I’ve looked at. We’re facing som

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