The spike in farmland prices has boosted the equity of farmers all across Canada. Are farmers leveraging this new-found equity to generate new business opportunities or farm wealth? To explore what farmland values mean for farms and farming across Canada, Country Guide sat down with Pascal Thériault, agricultural economist at Macdonald Campus, McGill University and vice-president of Quebec’s Ordre des agronomes.
In answer to a question posed by a reader, La Presse looked into the origins of the Metro group with expert commentary from agricultural economist Pascal Thériault, Director of McGill's Farm Management and Technology program and Senior Faculty Lecturer.
Among the five major players in the grocery field (Metro, IGA, Loblaw, Costco and Walmart), Metro is the only one to have its head office in Quebec. The big decisions are therefore made here, indicated Thériault.
Although grocery prices continue to rise at a higher rate than inflation, they slowed in July, according to Statistics Canada, and some items are currently on the shelves at the same price as they were in February, La Presse found.
But this summer "respite" could be short-lived, warns agronomist and economist Pascal Thériault, Director of McGill's Farm Management and Technology program. And it's important to remember that grocery bills remain high, he says.
July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth according to the European Copernicus service and extreme heat and drought are compromising many crops in Saskatchewan.
The provincial government's latest weekly crop report shows that from July 24 to 31, moisture levels in agricultural fields were insufficient in 49% of cases, and very insufficient in 38% of cases.
Inflation hit a new three-decade high in January, heaping more pressure on the Bank of Canada to raise interest rates for the first time since the pandemic started. The consumer price index rose 5.1 per cent in January from a year earlier, accelerating from December’s pace of 4.8 per cent and marking the first time since 1991 that inflation has surpassed 5 per cent, according to Statistics Canada. It was the 10th consecutive month that inflation has exceeded the Bank of Canada’s target range of 1 per cent to 3 per cent.
Congratulations to Dr. Caroline Begg (Plant Science, FMT), the recipient of the Principal's Prize for Excellence in Teaching (Faculty Lecturer). Principal Fortier presented the award at McGill's Fall Convocation held earlier this week. Dr. Begg has long been a supporter of student-led initiatives beyond the classroom and empowers students to be involved in their own learning process. She received the Macdonald Campus Award for Teaching Excellence earlier this year.