To have a great year in farming – at least as a grain producer – you need two things.  
To start, Mother Nature has to cooperate with timely rains, warm temperatures without it getting so hot as to hurt the crop, and a fall where the weather allows the crop to be put in the bin in good condition.  
For most of the Prairies, that was generally the story of weather in 2022.  
Then to have that really great year, you need good prices.  
This might actually be a tougher condition to meet than the vagaries of weather. Prices might be strong for one crop, but very rarely are all crops valuable to the marketplace.  
Well, 2022 is the exception. When you hear of canola at $20 per bushel it is honestly gasp worthy news. It was not so many years ago farmers were tantalized by the thought prices might hit the $10 a bushel threshold.  
With prices double that, and better varieties which have inched yields higher, it’s a good combination for sure.  
And cereals are doing quite well too. When you hear $7-$8 per bushel for barley it’s a good year, unless you are a livestock producer who must deal with huge feed costs.  
So this year I have had one farmer suggest the year is the best in his quarter century of running the farm, and another suggest in the life of a farmer they might see five really good years, and 2022 will certainly be among the best of those.  
So farmers should have a good year financially, not that all is rosy of course, with high input costs and huge equipment costs, but those would exist had yields been poor and prices low too.  
Typically, a good year for farmers is a good year for the local economies of area communities. It is a chance to upgrade half tons and tractors, or opt for a higher capacity combine – although such purchases will depend on availability too.  
That should be good news for the small towns across the Prairies, where even the boxes under the Christmas tree might be a little larger on area farms.  
In terms of Christmas, it is usually said that some cold weather and snow helps put people in the mood, and while the first couple of weeks of November might be a tad too early, it certainly looks and feels like Santa’s time out there. 
Led by the farm sector it could be a happy Xmas in spite of the pressures we feel on our budgets.  
From my house to yours … have a Safe and Happy Holiday! •
— By Calvin Daniels