Western Canadian feeder cattle prices traded $5 lower to $5 higher relative to week-ago levels. The market was quite variable across the Prairies, with eastern markets coming under more pressure comparable to southern Alberta. Feedlot operators and backgrounding farmers that were holding back on purchases earlier in the fall were stepping forward more aggressively this […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle stabilize near annual lows
Lethbridge feed wheat stays steady, barley moves downward
CNS Canada –– Feed barley prices have come down while wheat holds steady in Lethbridge, Alta., the centre of Western Canada’s livestock feeding sector. The price of feed barley at Lethbridge fell about $10 a tonne throughout November to sit at about $210-$212 per tonne — for three main reasons, according to Jim Beusekom of […] Read more
U.S. EPA finalizes 2016 renewables target at 18.1B gallons
New York | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants energy companies to blend 18.1 billion gallons (68.5 billion litres) of biofuels into the nation’s fuel supply next year, more than in a proposal laid out in May, it said in announcing final rules on renewables use for 2014-16 on Monday. The EPA’s long-awaited […] Read more
Alta. farm bill applies to paid workers only, minister says
UPDATED, Nov. 28, 2015 — New legislation applying Alberta’s rules on workplace standards and workers’ compensation to farm workers is meant for farms’ paid employees — not for family members or neighbours helping out on family farms. The province’s labour minister has said as much after stormy early going in the government’s consultations on Bill […] Read more
Soil moisture in Alberta improves after wet fall
Reading Time: < 1 minute Late-October rains caused harvest delays for many, but the three to five millimetres were near to below average. And in most areas south of Red Deer, conditions were quite dry over the first two months of fall. Most areas in the province experienced at least near-normal accumulations of precipitation during September and October, although some […] Read more
New edition of CropChoice$ crop-planning software available
Reading Time: < 1 minute CropChoice$ 2015 is now available. Producers can plug their yields from the 2015 harvest into the software and find whether their cropping plan can break even or make a profit. They can also enter target gross margins to see if they can achieve them. The software can analyze up to 40 dryland and irrigated crops […] Read more
Canpotex sees terminal expansion decision late next year
Winnipeg | Reuters — The new chief executive of Canpotex expects the Canadian potash trader to decide around late 2016 where to expand West Coast terminal capacity, a move that could give it a faster route to Chinese buyers in a highly competitive market. Options include building a $775 million terminal at Prince Rupert, B.C., […] Read more
Manitoba winter fertilizing ban back on
Snow’s arrival throughout Manitoba means no more extensions for the province’s farmers to apply winter fertilizer or manure. The province said Thursday its second extension, which was to run until the end of the day, has been rescinded, and the winter nutrient application ban is in place effective immediately, given “recent snowfall accumulations.” The winter […] Read more
Stronger demand for minor feeds reflected in oats futures
CNS Canada — Oats futures at the Chicago Board of Trade have been creeping higher, which a U.S.-based analyst attributes to increasing demand for minor feed grains. Data from Canada and the U.S. project oat yields to increase from last year, which are capping gains, but at the same time, the demand picture has improved. […] Read more
Australia blocks foreign firm’s deal for largest farm owner
Sydney | Reuters –– Australia on Thursday blocked the sale of the country’s largest landowner, private farming group S. Kidman and Co., to foreign investors, saying an agricultural area the size of South Korea should remain in Australian hands. Ownership of farmland is a sensitive political issue in Australia amid concerns that foreign buyers are […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
