Reading Time: 3 minutes Once again, a year’s passed and for better or worse We start a new one in doggerel — that’s badly rhymed verse We review the last year (which you could say was a hexed one) And give you some tips on what to do in the next one Now I’ve heard all the stories while […] Read more
A look back at the year that was — from bad to verse
There’s not that much to celebrate — and so this ‘poetry’ you’ll just have to tolerate
Feed weekly outlook: Corn is king at feedlots to end 2021
MarketsFarm — As the holidays approach and 2021 comes to a close, there was little trading activity on feed grain markets, according to Allen Pirness, senior trader at Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge. “The offers are still quite a bit higher than the bids. But there hasn’t been a lot of appetite right at the […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market stabilizes after December surge
Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle prices traded $3-$4 on either side of unchanged. Small groups of various quality characterized sale volumes. There were a few packages of backgrounded yearlings that sold at decent levels. Finishing feedlots were fairly aggressive on groups in the 700- to 800-lb. category. Higher flesh levels have become […] Read more
AAFC adjusts grain, oilseed balance sheets slightly
MarketsFarm –– Updated supply and demand tables from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), released late Friday, included only minor adjustments to balance sheets for the country’s major crops. The department’s projected ending stocks for wheat and canola were left unchanged from the previous month. Factoring in the official estimates from Statistics Canada, released Dec. 3, […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Bids high, but limited supplies mean little moving
MarketsFarm — Feed grain prices in Western Canada remain at very high levels heading into the New Year, but little is actually trading as feedlots fill up with cheaper corn from the U.S. “The volume trading of Canadian feed grains has dropped significantly,” said Jim Beusekom, of Market Place Commodities at Lethbridge, noting about 80 […] Read more
When it comes to new varieties, there’s a need for speed, says breeder
Creating the equivalent of a 22-hour day can speed up variety development by six times
Reading Time: 4 minutes Combining ‘speed breeding’ with new genomic tools will be able to deliver big dividends for farmers in the coming years, says a plant breeder using the accelerated breeding technique. “It really highlights that we can bring these technologies together to improve genetic gain in the crops of the future,” said Lee Hickey, an associate professor […] Read more
2021 was a bad crop year, but not 2002 bad
Reading Time: < 1 minute It was the worst year in a generation but production in Alberta was still considerably better than 2002. For example, spring wheat production this year fell to 5.71 million tonnes (according to the latest StatCan estimates). But that’s more than double the 2.59 million tonnes in 2002. On a per-seeded-acre basis, it was 35.9 bushels per […] Read more
Don’t panic yet: Normal grain movement should be restored
Barring more torrential rains, railways should be able to catch up on grain deliveries by spring
Reading Time: 4 minutes Grain has once again started moving to the Port of Vancouver after last month’s flooding — but very slowly. “For the next couple of months, I think it’s going to be a very light program out of Vancouver,” Quorum Corp. president Mark Hemmes said on Dec. 3. “They’ve got track back, but a lot of […] Read more
Plot2Farm heading into third season
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley are now taking Plot2Farm applications for next year. The initiative was launched in 2020 to better understand “how particular management practices impact crop quality and yield” on individual farms. The program seeks to replicate promising small-plot trial research results on farms, with producers being assisted by an agronomist. This allows […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Wheat, barley supplies tighten, replaced by corn
MarketsFarm — The further tightening of wheat and barley feed supplies is prompting feedlots to purchase more corn from the U.S., according to an Alberta-based analyst. “We’re nine months away, or almost 10 months away from more inventory coming in. There’s not much there for wheat and barley,” said Mike Fleischhauer of Eagle Commodities at […] Read more