fbpx
All Regions

Farming is Big Business

What are the key topics/issues that growers are facing with a couple of Nuseed’s core crops, sunflower and canola? Specific to these crops, most producers focus on the short-term production challenges.

SUNFLOWER

Weed Control: As a non-GMO crop, getting good, cost-effective weed control is a challenge especially when faced with increasing herbicide resistance issues.

Disease control: Diseases like Phomopsis and sclerotinia continue to drastically impact yield.

Markets: Investment in producer services and market opportunities are limited. Growers need more opportunities and support to ensure the benefits of sunflower oil/meal/food are enjoyed by a broader audience.

CANOLA

Disease Control: Clubroot and new strains of blackleg are affecting yields in many areas of the prairies. Growers are looking for breeding companies to come with new strains of resistance.

Harvest Management: Growers are now understanding the many benefits of harvesting canola in one pass. As this trend continues, the onus is on breeding companies to develop new lines that are capable of maintaining pod integrity through combining.

Insect Management: With the risk of loss of different classifications of insecticides, such as neonicotinoids, risk of crop damage to insects such as flea beetles and cutworms are more pronounced.

What are the biggest challenges and how can they be overcome?

When asked this question, most answers would fall into the simple equation: Revenue – Costs = Profit. The simple fact is that farming has become a big business and the risk reward scenario is currently highlighting the significant financial risks all farmers are facing. To add to this equation, we now have the influx of the digital farm and environmental considerations.

Revenue: Farmers continue to be faced with inconsistent access to profitable markets. International tariffs have a negative impact as well as subsidies in competing markets that drive down global pricing. At this time, the global edible oils markets are strong, leading to good profitability, but continued work is re- quired to continue to build new markets and a level competitive field. As focus continues on “output value” described as downstream crop value as opposed to “input value” which implies to production benefits, we will see farms producing more value added products for end use consumers which, in turn, creates increased market opportunities and value.

Costs: Fertilizer, seed, chemical and capital equipment are the major variable costs, which impact operations. Each is a response to separate geographical and environmental needs from weed control to moisture to accessing staff. Farmers have access to technologies, at a cost, but do they have access to the financing to cover their regional needs and take advantage of their opportunities?

Digital Farming: Most agree that future profitability from environmental credits to local management decisions will be impacted by the digital revolution in farming.

What do you foresee for the industry in 2021 and beyond?

For Nuseed this answer is “Value Beyond Yield…” There are many “golden opportunities” with sunflower and canola that can be untapped for the future. From the plant characteristics of canola that lend itself to scientific discovery to the natural healthy oil properties and to wide growing capabilities of sunflower for uses such as cover crops. These crops are well-positioned in the North American market to answer current and future needs.
RRotariu
Roger Rotariu is the North American Marketing Lead for Nuseed. Prior to joining Nuseed, he was the North American Strategy Lead and Canadian Marketing Director for Nufarm. With 30 years of agriculture experience in strategy, marketing and sales, Roger has experienced a significant amount of change in the farming industry. With time spent as a trader with Cargill to managing a small independent seed company to working with the Bayer canola team, Roger has many stories on the evolution of agriculture. The challenge of launching a brand-new seed company in Western Canada is one that he has eagerly undertaken.