THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2016
VOL. 94 | NO. 5 | $4.25
MAKING MONSANTO’S AMBITIOUS PLANS FOR CORN GROWERS
SERVING WESTERN CANADIAN FARM FAMILIES SINCE 1923
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FARM DEBT
WEATHER
Dry spring in the forecast
Staying afloat Market analysts are optimistic after a Statistics Canada report shows the farm sector is growing its assets faster than its debts
But the El Nino system will end by fall, says weather expert BY BRIAN CROSS SASKATOON NEWSROOM
STATISTICS CANADA 2014 FARM DEBT NUMBERS (LATEST AVAILABLE):
BY SEAN PRATT SASKATOON NEWSROOM
debt-to-asset ratio, the lowest level since 1997
Canadian farmers are accumulating more debt, but their assets are growing at a faster pace, according to Statistics Canada. The value of total farm liabilities was up $5 billion on Dec. 31, 2014, compared to a year earlier. Assets were up $43 billion over the same period. Total assets were $525 billion compared to $78 billion in liabilities for a debt-toasset ratio of 15.2 percent, the lowest recorded since 1997. “It does show that based on the ratio, the sector is in a good position to overcome financial risks with lower commodity prices in the future or adverse weather and that sort of thing,” said Stephen Boyd, a senior analyst with Statistics Canada.
SEE DRY SPRING, PAGE 5
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billion in total farm assets, up 8.9% from 2013
FEBRUARY 4, 2016 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Box 2500, Stn. Main, Saskatoon, SK. S7K 2C4
$ M FAERBT D
billion in total farm debt, up $5 billion from 2013
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SEE STAYING AFLOAT, PAGE 4
billion in equity in canada’s farm sector in 2014 — up 9.2% from 2013
EDMONTON — Farmers across Western Canada will likely see a continuation of dry, mild conditions for the rest of the winter and extending into spring as the lingering effects of El Nino continue to be felt in North America and around the world. That was one of the messages delivered last week at FarmTech by Drew Lerner, president and senior meteorologist with World Weather Inc. Lerner’s other key message was that El Nino is weakening gradually and will likely be fully expired by the fourth quarter of 2016, if not earlier. For growers, that means a return to more normal precipitation levels as the year progresses, with better rainfall distribution likely beginning in June and continuing for the rest of the year. “I think as El Nino disappears we will see an increase in precipitation as time moves on,” Lerner said.