Farms.com Home   Ag Industry News

Cdn. farmers in the middle of the trade war

Cdn. farmers in the middle of the trade war

Decisions between the U.S. and China affect Canadian ag

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Canadian farmers are stuck on the sidelines watching commodity prices fluctuate as trade talks between the United States and China start and stall.

In March 2018, when the U.S. kicked off the trade war by asking the United States Trade Representative to investigate applying tariffs on Chinese goods, soybeans traded for almost US$11 per bushel.

Prices have risen and fallen since that time, and as of Tuesday afternoon traded for about US$8.65 per bushel.

Watching the two countries exchange tariffs is hard, said Ken Durham, a cash crop producer from Niagara, Ont.

“The trade war hurts all farmers big time because we are at the mercy of the politics,” he told Farms.com. “Regardless of where our soybeans go, (the trade war) still affects the Chicago Board of Trade and the world price for soybeans.”

Gord Masters, a cash crop and beef producer from Kawartha Lakes, Ont. agrees.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if the bottom fell out on some of these commodity prices,” he told Farms.com.

The difficulty of managing a farm business during the trade war, paired with weather challenges, could be enough for some producers to leave the industry.

“When you look at everything that’s happened across North America, this year might weed some farmers out and they won’t be able to survive the year,” Durham said.

Canada can do something to repair its relationship with China and present itself as a source of good ag products, Masters and Durham agreed.

Letting Meng Wanzhou, the chief operating officer for Huawei Technologies, return to China could help restore access for canola and other ag commodities, they said.


Trending Video

Women in Ag. The Promotion of Female Farmers through Social Media | Madalyn Thayer | TEDxBGSU

Video: Women in Ag. The Promotion of Female Farmers through Social Media | Madalyn Thayer | TEDxBGSU

Less than 1% of Americans are farmers. The majority of those farmers are men. Many people have minimal experience with farms and agriculture. High schools are getting rid of their FFA programs and many colleges, including BGSU, do not have agricultural programs or classes. There is a new social media phenomenon where women are making content based on their farming endeavors and gaining lots of traction. Education is the one of the most important parts of agriculture, because the more people know the more they will emphasize with farmers and create policy that benefits everybody. Female farmers have taken to social media sharing their experience in the agricultural world. These women are breaking stereotypes and educating everyday citizens about farming which is extremely important for the future of agriculture. Madalyn is 19 years old and will be gradated with her bachelors degree in communication on December 2024. She lives on a farm and have spent lots of time working in agriculture. She has her own farmers market and love learning about all subjects, especially agriculture. She was on the BGSU Firelands Student government from 2021-2023 as a CCP Ambassador and was awarded the 3&1 communication excellency award in April of 2024. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.