Farm show will run until March 10
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
About 75 people filled Yuk Yuk’s in London’s Western Fair District Wednesday morning to get updates about Canada’s agricultural machinery industry and the entire ag economy.
Leah Olson, President of Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada (AMC), and Craig Klemmer, senior agriculture economist for Farm Credit Canada (FCC) discussed key issues.
When speaking about the economy, Klemmer said it starts and stops with the loonie.
“We’ve seen the Canadian dollar decline,” he said. “Because we have a 75-cent dollar, commodity prices in Canada remain profitable and that’s good news for the ag sector overall.”
2017 could present room for growth in the ag economy, Klemmer said.
“In Canada we continue to see profitability through the grain and oilseed sector,” he said. “We’ve seen increased revenues in dairy, and the protein sector remains strong. And we could see some re-investment in the United States.”
Craig Klemmer and Leah Olson make their presentations Wednesday morning.
Photo: Joe Dales/Twitter
When it comes to the equipment side of the equation, some of the key issues facing the industry are quite basic.
“Most agricultural equipment manufacturers are located in small communities with less than 10,000 (people),” Olson said. “Some of the basic infrastructure needs are important, (including) the ability to transport products to international markets and the ability to communicate with customers.”
Innovation and government legislation are other issues facing agricultural manufacturers, Olson said.
“AMC monitors every province and what’s happening,” she said. “Agricultural implement acts provide an overview of the relationship between the manufacturer, the dealer and the farmer.”
AMC wants the provincial and federal government to understand the important role agricultural equipment manufacturers play, Olson said.