June 28, 2012 - The Western Producer

Page 1

THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2012

VOL. 90 | NO. 26 | $3.75

STRIPE RUST ALERT |

CROP REPORT

P5

SERVING WESTERN CANADIAN FARM FAMILIES SINCE 1923

|

WWW.PRODUCER.COM

HERE’S MUD IN YOUR EYE

New trade deal worries supply management

Farmers due for volatile weather

Canada invited to join Trans-Pacific Partnership BY BARRY WILSON OTTAWA BUREAU

Canada has been invited to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, and agricultural exporters could not be happier. However, supply managed sectors are in defensive mode, knowing that Canada will be under pressure to drop high tariffs on dairy, poultry and egg imports as the price of joining the TPP. Exporters were thrilled. “Joining the TPP is a major step towards Canada integrating into more trade relationships with other countries in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Grain Growers of Canada executive director Richard Phillips. The cattle, pork, beef, grain and oilseed sectors see an opportunity for hundreds of millions of dollars in new sales opportunities once a deal is signed, likely several years away.

Weather cycles | 800 years of data BY ED WHITE WINNIPEG BUREAU

DES MOINES, Iowa — Concerns about dryness in the United States Midwest have driven up crop prices in Canadian and international markets, yet few people actually believe that a severe drought is about to hit the region. For that matter few traders express a belief that wild weather will ravage crops anywhere. Most talk about being confident that the world’s farmers will experience normal weather, even if some isolated crops see market declines. But that’s not a safe way to think, said Iowa State University weather analyst and crop production expert Elwynn Taylor. The kind of weather most people consider to be “normal” is really just one half of a two-part cycle, he said, and the dangerous second part is set to begin soon. “What we know is we’re ending a period of stability and going into a period of volatility,” Taylor said during a recent weather outlook session. “We expect to be in a period of volatility for the next 20 to 25 years.” Taylor said the past two decades have seen tame swings in weather patterns and have produced generally rising corn and soybean yields in the U.S. Midwest. That predictable trend is likely to end this year or next year, ushering in an age of huge swings in yields. SEE VOLATILE WEATHER, PAGE 2

»

TRADE | AG EXPORTS

SEE DEAL WORRIES, PAGE 2

»

u|xhHEEJBy00001pzYv-:' JUNE 28, 2012 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Box 2500, Saskatoon, SK. S7K 2C4

Justin Laventure of Biggar, Sask., makes a muddy landing while pursued by Shot Glass at a rodeo held as part of Guy Weadick Days in High River , Alta., June 24. | MIKE STURK PHOTO

INSIDE: CANADA’S FARM PROGRESS SHOW COVERAGE | PAGES 4, 65, 69 Healthy bodies, healthy brains

Crushers in expansion mode

A three-month study shows seniors can reduce body fat, improve blood flow to the brain and consequently, improve intellectual health by staying active. | See FARM LIVING, P. 21

Canola growers will soon have access to another 1.7 million tonnes of crush capacity when Richardson Oilseed Ltd. expands its facility in Yorkton, Sask. | See AGFINANCE, P. 76

The Western Producer is published in Saskatoon by Western Producer Publications, which is owned by GVIC Communications Corp. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240; Registration No. 10676

WEATHER | MARKETS


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.