Farm Product Price Index, June 2023: Strong Cattle and Calves Prices Drive Gain in the Livestock Index
(From the September 6, 2023 edition of Statistics Canada’s The Daily) In June, the livestock and animal products index rose 9.9% compared with June 2022.
The cattle and calves index, up 37.8% in June 2023 compared with June 2022, was the primary reason for the increase in the livestock and animal products index. This marked the 27th monthly year-over-year gain in a row. Tight supplies mainly the result of the shrinking cattle herd have helped support the prices of cattle and calves. The inventory of total cattle in Canada at July 1st 2023 was at its lowest since 1988.
Meanwhile, the hogs index decreased 15.5% in June 2023 compared with June the previous year, marking the fifth consecutive year-over-year monthly decline. The number of hogs slaughtered was up 1.5% in the second quarter of 2023 compared with the same quarter in 2022, while declining demand for pork impacted slaughter hog prices, leading to the decrease in the hog index.
In June, the crops index fell 19.8% after recording three consecutive year-over-year increases for the month of June. Improved yields and better growing conditions in the 2022/2023 crop year compared with the previous crop year led to higher supplies, exerting downward pressure
on crop prices. Also contributing to the lower crops index was a sharp increase in crop prices in June the previous year, caused by tightened supplies due to drought conditions in the Western provinces during the 2021/2022 crop year.’
The grains index also declined in June 2023, down 25.3%, despite robust global demand. Prices for oats (-55.2%), durum (-31.9%) and non-durum wheat (-24.3%) were all down in June compared with the same period one year earlier.
Meanwhile, the oilseeds index recorded a 29.9% decrease in June compared with the same month the previous year, with lower prices for canola (-31.6%), soybean (-5.3%) and flaxseed (-56.5%) contributing to the drop. More favourable growing conditions in the Western provinces in the 2022/2023 crop year led to the increased supply of oilseeds.
The specialty crops index (-21.4%) also declined in June compared with June 2022. Dry peas and lentils, mainly grown in the Prairie provinces, saw a return to more normal production in the 2022/2023 crop year, contributing to the June 2023 price declines.
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update from MBP September 8, 2023 mbbeef.ca
Beneficial Management Practices Agricultural Operations Use, Including Rotational Grazing
(From the September 5, 2023 edition Statistics Canada’s The Daily) Recently, Statistics Canada conducted the Survey on Local Food and Beneficial Management Practices, which collected information about local food sales and management practices considered beneficial from an environmental perspective.
The survey enquired about beneficial management practices, which are practices that reduce overall environmental risk. It examined two practices: application of urease or nitrification inhibitors, which is the process of applying fertilizers containing urease or nitrification inhibitors to improve nutrient use efficiency in agricultural operations and potentially limiting nitrogen run-off and greenhouse gas emissions; and rotational grazing, which consists of moving animals between fields to manage grazing and rest periods to improve the root systems plants build.
In 2022, 18,353 agricultural operations, or nearly 9.7% of all agricultural operations in Canada, applied urease or nitrification inhibitors across more than 11 million acres of seeded cropland combined. The most frequent reasons given for utilizing fertilizers with urease or nitrification inhibitors were due to the recommendation by a trusted advisor (44.5%), anticipated financial benefits greater than costs (34.4%) and confidence that their operation could use urease or nitrification inhibitors successfully (24.2%).
Moreover, in 2022, 27,266 agricultural operations, or nearly 14.4% of the total number of agricultural operations in Canada, practiced rotational grazing on over 13 million acres of pasture land combined. Saskatchewan had the greatest number of acres of pasture land where rotational grazing was practiced, with over 5 million acres. The most common reasons for agricultural operations to practice rotational grazing in 2022 were to meet an on-farm conservation need (41.5%) and because the operation had confidence that they could practice rotational grazing successfully (40.5%).
A Provincial General Election Has Been Called and Election Day is October 3
(September 5, 2023 Elections Manitoba News Release) Manitoba’s 43rd provincial general election has been called today and will be held on Tuesday, October 3, 2023. Advance voting runs for eight days, from Saturday, September 23 until Saturday, September 30.
VOTER INFORMATION: www.electionsmanitoba.ca/en/Voting/MyVotin gInfo
Who Can Vote?
To be eligible to vote, an individual must:
• be a Canadian citizen,
• be at least 18 years old on election day, and
• have lived in Manitoba for at least six months immediately before election day.
Voter Information Card
Voters will receive a voter information card in the mail. This card confirms that the voter is registered to vote and tells them when and where they vote on election day and during advance voting.
Voter Registration
Voters who have not received their cards or received a card with incorrect information can visit www.electionsmanitoba.ca or contact their local election office to register or update their information before September 14. Voting is faster and easier when registered before the election, but Manitobans can still register at the poll when they vote.
Where to Vote
During all eight days of advance voting, Manitobans can vote at any advance poll in the province.
On election day, Manitobans can vote at any polling place in their electoral division.
Voters can find all their options at www.electionsmanitoba.ca/en/Voting/MyVotin gInfo.
ID to Vote
All voters require ID to vote, either one piece of government-issued photo ID or two other pieces. There are many options. A complete list of acceptable ID is available on the Elections Manitoba website.
Voters are encouraged to bring their voter information card, which can be used as one piece of ID.
Candidate Nominations
As of today, candidates may officially be nominated. Candidates must file nomination papers with their local election office before 1 p.m. on Monday, September 11.
Third Parties
Third party rules have been in effect since June 7.Beginning today and continuing until election day, third parties must register with Elections Manitoba after spending $2,500 on election communication expenses, with an expense limit of $25,000.
continued on page 5
A Provincial General Election Has Been Called and Election Day is October 3
Registered third parties can be found at www.electionsmanitoba.ca/en/Finance/ThirdPa rty_Election_Returns/GE2023
Election Modernization
The 43rd general election will see new technology at the polls, resulting in reduced wait times for voters and faster results reporting. This new technology includes:
• Laptops with secure access to the voters list;
• Scanners to scan voter information cards and quickly find voters on the voters list;
• Printers for printing ballots on demand in place of write-in ballots for advance voting; and
• Vote counting machines to scan and accurately record ballots and provide results at the close of polls.
It is expected that approximately 85 per cent of election day voters and 95 per cent of advance voters will see these tools in use in the 2023 general election.
