Welcome to a new year.
Thankfully the ancient Mayans, or the alarmists interpreting an ancient, all but lost language, were wrong that there was a portent of doom associated with the date of the recent winter solstice.
That's a good thing for farmers since the last couple of years have been pretty positive, and the year ahead would seem to be holding to that trend even if prices drop somewhat.
Certainly in an historic contest 2012 will be a thinker chapter in the annals of agriculture than most years have been.
The year saw the federal Conservatives finally managing to bring the monopoly sale of Prairie-grown wheat, durum and export barley by the Canadian Wheat Board to an end.
While historians might add a footnote about questionable government ethics in the handling of the change, it is no less a benchmark change in how Prairie farmers will see their grain into the future.
The CWB, fan or detractor, has been an institution for decades, so when the system changes it is a big deal.
Support for the single desk seller has been a 50/50 thing in recent years, and the Conservatives had been promising change since first elected. Their first minority government shied from the change, but once re-elected with a majority the CWB's fate was sealed. It is the big story in agriculture the past year.
The CWB is attempting to adapt, even moving to sell canola, so a developing story in 2013 will be to see if the long term grain seller can carve out a place for itself in a competitive sales environment.
Last week I wrote about how the former Saskatchewan Wheat Pool cooperative (now Viterra) had been sold into the hands ofáSwiss multinational giant Glencore International.
How the sale impacts the long-time grain handler is unknown, butáthe fact it is now under foreign ownership is at least historically interesting in terms of 2012.
Last year will also be remembered for high grain prices. When farmers could get $14 a bushel for canola off the combine last fall you know it was a good year.
That the high prices extended across just about any crop farmers grow on the Prairies just meant it was really a great year.
Certainly in some areas yields were below long term averages, but at least the high prices buffered the low yields.
Now not everything was positive in 2012.
Hog prices remained below the cost of production for most producers. As a result two of the major produces in Saskatchewan and Manitoba had to look to the courts for protection from creditors.
It could be a signal that hog production on the Prairies may not be a major farm sector moving forward, again a fundamental shift which hit a benchmark moment last year, and a developing trend to watch in the year ahead.
Looking back 2012 certainly was a year of big agriculture stories marked by change.
And as always it will be interesting to see what the new year brings farmers.
