The facts about food inflation Friday, May 6, 2011 Food price inflation in the double digits has been blamed (or credited, depending upon your point of view) for the unrest that has changed the political landscape across North Africa and the Middle East. But food inflation hasn't struck hard in the United States, at least not early in the year. In March, Maclean's magazine carried an article indicating a rate of only 0.3 per cent in January. The article quoted a report by financial services company CitiGroup. The reason for the miniscule food inflation rate? The stuff that farmers grow and sell represents a relatively small percentage of the value of the highly processed foods typically sold in stores across the United States (and Canada for that matter). Changes in manufacturing practices can make up the difference associated with those higher costs. The Maclean's article was entitled 'A Reason to Love Cheetos.'The Business Insider website took the subject further. In an article entitled "In times like these, America's diet of processed food is an economic miracle," contributor Joe Weisenthal explained that stable food prices in the United States "reflect the very high processing content of food. . . . With it, production and marketing margins absorb most of the variation in raw food commodity prices that could erode consumer incomes."The writer facetiously concluded: "So next time you moan about America's process-food diet, take a moment and realize how much this insulates us. Of course, what this means for our healthcare bill is another story." BF Chicken wing profits linked to Super Bowl Canadian-made biofuel more efficient, study claims
Chinese Tariffs Are Squeezing Canadian Grain and Oilseeds Friday, March 14, 2025 By Aleah Harle, Farms.com Risk Management Intern On March 8, 2025, China announced steep retaliatory tariffs on $2.6 billion worth of Canadian agricultural products in response to Canada’s October tariffs of 100% on Chinese EVs, and 25% on steel, and aluminum. These newly... Read this article online
Canada proactively purchases 500,000 doses of a human vaccine against bird flu Friday, March 14, 2025 By Liam Nolan Canada’s agricultural industry continues to monitor the spread of Avian Influenza (AI). The H5N1 HPAI was first reported in Canada in December 2021, below is an update on recent developments. Avian influenza, or bird flu, continues to impact poultry farms... Read this article online
Farmer Planting Decisions for 2025 Taking Shape Thursday, March 13, 2025 As farmers across Canada prepare for the 2025 crop year, Statistics Canada says their planting decisions reflect a complex mix of factors including moisture conditions, crop rotation considerations, and market prices. Nationally, farmers are expected to plant more wheat, corn for... Read this article online
Grain Growers of Sounding the Alarm Over U.S. Tariffs Monday, March 10, 2025 Not surprisingly, the Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) is raising concerns over the United States' decision to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian grain and grain products, a move that could jeopardize the livelihoods of family-run grain farms and lead to higher food prices for American... Read this article online
International Women’s Day – Angela Cammaert Wednesday, March 5, 2025 As International Women’s Day approaches on March 8, Farms.com is asking women in ag about what they’d tell their younger selves about being a farmer, to give a piece of advice to young women entering the ag sector, and to highlight a woman in agriculture they consider a mentor or... Read this article online