The Rural Voice, 2005-04, Page 51Markets
gas, gold, silver, cattle and grain. The
fact is that it may be oil and gas that
attracts investors to these funds, but
they end up with grain and a whole
list of commodities along with the oil
and gas.
Fundamentals have no bearing on
investor decisions right now since
they are focused on what the CRB
index is doing. These funds certainly
provide liquidity in the market and
can make the markets very volatile,
as we have already seen. They
pushed down future prices and now
they are bringing them back.
Someday, they will take profits and if
planting is going well and weather is
good, look for a big correction. In the
meantime, producers need to take
advantage of the opportunities to sell
some grain whether it is old or new
crop.
I think the Canadian dollar will be
a huge negative factor for Ontario
producers in the next few months.
My take on the dollar is that we will
see a lot of strength over the next six
months. The fact that our dollar could
not stay under $.80, keeps testing
some recent highs, plus the fact that
most, technical indicators point higher
leads me to believe that the loonie is
bound to go higher — possibly to the
$.90 high of the early 1990s. 1 am not
saying that it will stay high for very
long but only time will tell.
As of the time I am writing this
column (March 18, 2005), future
prices are off of their recent highs but
generally are holding above support
levels. May soybeans have had a
move from $5.01 to a high of $5.91
while May corn has moved from
$2.01 to a high of $2.31. Technical
analysts think May corn could go as
high as $2.50, which would fill some
gaps, but if we do get that high,
producers should be on the ball and
definitely get some sales done. We
will probably see some extreme
volatility in the coming weeks which
1 am sure will be unsettling, but it
will offer some good pricing
opportunities.
Just think — by this time next
month, we will hopefully be able to
smell freshly -worked soil and see
some signs of spring.°
AgriTech
Your land but our water
Janice
Becker is a
computer
enthusiast
and
journalist
living near
Walton, ON.
In spite of bone -chilling
temperatures well into March, spring
really is on its way.
With the annual melt, thawing
of long -frozen fields and anticipated
spring showers, the issue of run-off
and protection of our water resources
once again comes to the foreground.
Governmental agencies and
citizens' groups have been working
for years on programs and strategies
to clean up or retain the purity of
water sources. With the devastating
impact of the Walkerton water
tragedy in 2000. the push to protect
that valuable commodity received a
tremendous boost. Governments
enforced new standards and new
initiatives continue to be
implemented by'organizations such
as the conservation authorities.
As seen in a news article from the
March issue, Conservation
Authorities are undertaking a source -
water protection project to guard
against contamination before it
happens, rather than reacting after the
fact.
One weapon in the arsenal to inform
landowners in the Maitland Valley
and Saugeen Valley Conservation
Authority regions, is a pilot project
website called My Land, Our Water.
which offers site -specific
information on the run-off/absorptive
properties of the land.
Found at myland.mvca.on.ca or
myland.svca.on.ca. property owners
can click on their acreage to find out
just what they are dealing with.
The homepage outlines the purpose
for the site and a click on the "Map
Your Property" link takes you to an
introductory page that, helpfully. tells
you how to best use the site and how
to handle problems which may arise.
(What a good idea.)
Even with my dial-up system, the
map comes up relatively quickly.
As it was the easiest to do, 1 used my
own small rural property as the
guinea pig for the search. 1 also have
intimate knowledge of the land and
the properties I perceive it to possess
so I thought the MVCA analysis
would be enlightening.
The fine-tuning of the location on
the aerial map took a little work, but I
was eventually able to zoom in on my
property.
It was very interesting to view the
swirling configuration of the
neighbouring land. clearly depicting
hilly terrain, and yes. the perpetually
wet, low-lying area in my front yard
was visible.
Once you have established the
correct scale for the view you want.
go to Step 2 for more details. You
can check out the soil type, slope of
your land, geology and well
locations. My one problem was
determining just what type of soil is
Hl. (My husband believes "Hard".)
Interestingly. under "Wells". our well
for the house did not appear. but one
in the middle of the neighbour's field
did.
Also take time to zoom out and
look at a broader view of your area.
This will give you a better idea of
just how your property can impact or
be impacted by adjacent topography.
For farmers concerned that this
analysis is in some way a review of
their farming practices, it is not.
The site simply looks at the natural
properties such as soil type and slope •
to determine risks. (Note that some
data is dated and may not reflect
recent changes.)
Take your time and look through
all the components of the mapping
section. While you are there. check
out other information provided by the
conservation authorities. As an
alternative. stop by the local CA
office for more information on
protecting our water resources at the
source.
Contact me at
jlhecker@wighiman.ca or through
The Rural Voice office. with
feedback or topic suggestions.°
APRIL 2005 47