Reading Time: 3 minutes Representatives of Alberta’s four major crop commissions, known as Team Alberta, want producers to know their precarious situation hasn’t been forgotten. On October 13 Team Alberta issued a memo to producers outlining how it “continues to press the provincial government to acknowledge the ongoing situation and find solutions to protect farmers against the mounting risks […] Read more
Team Alberta calls for more action from the provincial government
The four major crop commissions say the government’s message is that producers will have to rely only on crop insurance
Klassen: Feeder cattle market continues on downward trend
Compared to last week, Western Canadian yearling markets dropped $2 to $4 while calf prices sank $2 to as much as $6 on average. Rising feed grain prices set a negative tone. Adverse weather also contributed to lower bids, especially in the lighter weight categories. Most auction barns had feature calf sales this past week. […] Read more
We’ve planted some digital seeds in the fields of journalism
Reading Time: 3 minutes When farmers plant a seed, it becomes many. It is the purest form of wealth creation. It also takes many to cover even a fraction of the stories that could be done on seeds, and how humans develop, improve, preserve, and understand them. Over the past few months, more than two dozen journalists from across […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Almost out of space for corn
MarketsFarm – At this point of the fall, there’s not much room still to be had for feed corn, according to Brandon Motz of CorNine Commodities in Lacombe, Alta. In the meantime, prices for feed barley and wheat continued to push higher. “The in-bound corn is picking up and we are starting to see new […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle market grinds lower
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets were down $2-$5 while calves dropped by $3 to as much as $8. We’re now seeing some medium-quality calves weighing around 550 lbs. sell under the psychological $200 level in central Alberta. The market is lacking demand. Feedlot inventories are running 33 per cent above the five-year […] Read more
Canada’s small, high-protein malt barley crop poses challenges
MarketsFarm — The hot and dry 2021 growing season cut significantly into Canada’s barley production, with the weather also leading to higher protein levels for what was harvested. “It will be an extremely tight and difficult year for the malt processors and ultimately for the brewers as well,” said Peter Watts, managing director of the […] Read more
Feds tighten forecast for wheat carryout
MarketsFarm — Canadian wheat carryout for the 2021-22 crop year will be even tighter than earlier forecasts, according to updated supply/demand estimates from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), released Wednesday. The October report included only minor adjustments for most crops, with the most notable change from September being a 500,000-tonne reduction in projected wheat ending […] Read more
Wheat supply drop sharpest in a decade
Not only are supplies tight — so are ocean vessels for delivering to customers
Reading Time: 3 minutes It wasn’t only a bad year for growing wheat in Canada and the U.S. — poor weather in other major producers has sharply reduced the world’s exportable supplies. In a recent webinar held in conjunction with Alberta Wheat and Barley, Jade Delafraye of London-based Argus Media said the U.S. Department of Agriculture has dropped its […] Read more
Hops gaining ground here — and craft brewers couldn’t be happier
Alberta isn’t known for hops but that’s changing fast as growers master the tricky crop
Reading Time: 5 minutes It might not be the Yakima Valley — the hops capital of the world — but Alberta is no slouch when it comes to producing high-quality hops for the craft beer market. “The markets are definitely getting more prominent for Alberta hops,” said Jenelle Bjarnason, who owns Hop To It with husband Shayne. “It’s still […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market reflects softer sentiment
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $2-$4 lower; calves over 700 lbs. appeared to hold value; calves weighing less than 700 lbs. were down $3 to as much as $5. The yearling run is basically finished. Ontario buying interest was supportive in the eastern Prairie regions due to the bumper corn crop; […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
