By Kevin Hursh

Taking the big view

Dec 10, 2010 | 5:12 AM

for paNOW

“He can’t see the forest for all the trees.” It’s an old saying, but it often applies to agriculture.

We sometimes make this mistake when we try to access grain markets. We focus on one factor rather than the big picture. That’s happening with the debate over canola acres.

Some observers are predicting a big increase in Prairie canola acres next year, while others say that there is again going to be so much unseeded land that canola acreage won’t rise as much as expected. This is an important factor for canola prices, but it’s only one piece in a much larger puzzle.