- Calvin Daniels
To start, Mother Nature has to cooperate with timely rains, warm temperatures without getting so hot as to hurt the crop, and a fall where the weather allows the crop to be put in the bin in good condition. For most of east central Saskatchewan, my home stomping grounds, that was generally the weather in 2022.
Then to have that really great year, you need good prices. This might actually be a tougher condition to meet than the vagaries of weather. Prices might be strong for one crop, but very rarely are all crops valuable to the marketplace. Well, 2022 is the exception. When you hear of canola at $20 per bushel, it is honestly gasp-worthy news. Not so many years ago, farmers were tantalized by the thought prices might hit the ten dollars a bushel threshold. With prices currently double that and better varieties which have inched yields higher, it’s a good combination for sure.
Cereals are doing quite well too. When you hear $7-$8 per bushel for barley, it’s a good year unless you are a livestock producer who must deal with huge feed costs. I have had one farmer suggest this year is the best in his quarter century of running the farm, and another suggests in the life of a farmer, they might see five really good years, and 2022 will certainly be among the best of those.
Farmers should have a good year financially, not that all is rosy, of course, with high input costs and huge equipment costs, but those would exist had yields been poor and prices low. Typically, a good year for farmers is a good year for the economy of local communities. It is a chance to upgrade half-tons and tractors or opt for a higher capacity combine. Although, such purchases will depend on availability too.
That should be good news for small-town Saskatchewan, at least in the east-central area, where even the boxes under the Christmas tree might be a little larger on area farms. In terms of Christmas, it is usually said that some cold weather and snow help put people in the mood, and while the first week of November might be a tad too early, it certainly looks and feels like Santa’s time out there.
The province is sending us some of our own money back in part, so we see them less as a Grinch in our lives and as a little nudge in terms of who they want us to vote for – the party that gives us our money back – well, $500 at least once.
While the motivation is more self-serving than the Saskatchewan Party will admit, it is at least money which will be spent for Christmas. It might just be keeping the heat and rent paid for some struggling against today’s high prices, but it will flow into the economy. Led by the farm sector, it could be a happy Christmas for business despite the pressures we feel on our budgets.
- Calvin Daniels
Comment on this article at lmtimes.ca/calvin
Disclaimer: opinions expressed are those of the writer.
