Big Picture More Important for Canadian Farmers: Gervais

 

Trade and possible currency battles aside, Canadian producers should keep their eye on the bigger picture – the state of the global economy, according to Farm Credit Canada chief economist J.P. Gervais.

 

In a website post Tuesday, Gervais said the relative strength of global economy matters more for Canadian agriculture than does the potential for the U.S. and China to engage in a currency war amid the larger ongoing trade war between the two sides.

 

Indeed, Gervais noted that despite the U.S.-China trade tensions, the demand for agricultural commodities is projected to remain strong in 2019-20, with the USDA projecting a 3% increase in total worldwide wheat consumption, a 0.5% increase in global coarse grain usage and a 2.1% increase in oilseed consumption. Additionally, global beef consumption is also projected to increase in 2019 by 1.4%, while pork consumption would also likely climb if not for the African Swine Fever outbreak in China, he added.

 

Gervais admitted there are signs the U.S-China trade war is taking its toll, noting the German economy contracted in the second quarter and many central banks (India, New Zealand, Thailand) have cut their policy interest rate as an insurance against a weaker global economy.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.