A field of corn in Chatham-Kent (File photo by Simon Crouch)A field of corn in Chatham-Kent (File photo by Simon Crouch)
Chatham

Farmers Watch Dollar Fluctuations

As local farmers see their grain corn emerging from the soil and the planting season switches to soybeans they are also wondering if the soybean crop might increase in size because of higher prices.

Dresden area farmer and agricultural economist Philip Shaw says that over the past month the price of a bushel of soys has increased steadily.

"It's been quite a run up in price compared to when they started planting corn," he says. "Here in Canada of course we've benefitted from a low Canadian dollar, it got down to $.68 on January 20, then back up to $.80 and then back to $.76 and that has really helped us."

Shaw notes any business that is not operating in American currency but is trying to export has the same issues.

"This is a fluid environment it is nothing new it is just something we have to weigh all the time," he says. "Of course it is not only the agricultural sector it is the manufacturing sector too."

Shaw says there could be some shifting from corn acres to soybean acres but he doesn't think it will be huge.

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