Management: Technology and Innovation

Posted Date: June 8, 2022

The threat of cyberattacks on agricultural producers is increasing, along with the resulting costs for individual farmers and agri-food businesses alike with payments to hackers reaching new highs every year. Cyberattacks are an issue of concern for any individual, industry, or government. More than 20% of Canadian businesses were a target of a cyberattack in 2019. A recent report puts the cost of cyberattacks on Canadian businesses in the hundreds of millions each year, although the actual amount is certainly higher as most attacks go unreported.

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Markets: Market Disruptions

Posted Date: March 30, 2022

When COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), it wasn’t clear to producers what that would mean for the demand for agricultural products. In Canada, we faced challenges such as an increased demand for wheat flour and a decreased demand for dairy, leading to dumping. In a different industry, the world’s silicon chip manufacturers expected demand for electronic devices to decrease, and so production of these essential components was slowed down. Very soon, however, demand not only increased, but it began to outpace the rate of production. This shortage of chips began to affect many other industries, including agriculture, which uses a lot of advanced technology.

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