The guessing game on whom the next agriculture minister will be is well underway in Ottawa although no obvious choice stands out. Whoever Justin Trudeau selects will find Gerry Ritz a tough act to follow. During his eight years in the portfolio, he has put an increasing production and export stamp on the industry. And […] Read more
Binkley: Speculation swirls on Grits’ successor for Ritz
Feed: El Nino pressures barley crop down under
CNS Canada — Following are a few highlights in the Canadian and world feed grains markets on Monday, Oct. 19. • CBOT corn futures were down by two to three cents per bushel at midday Monday, as harvest pressure in the U.S. and improving corn conditions in the Black Sea region weighed on prices. • […] Read more
U.S. winter weather to see El Nino’s influence
Tampa | Reuters — Much of the U.S. South can expect a cooler and wetter winter, while warmer-than-usual temperatures are likely across many northern and western states, as a strong El Nino weather pattern shaped a government weather outlook issued Thursday. More rain and snow are likely across the nation’s southern regions, extending from central […] Read more
Hay prices stabilize in Sask., Man.
CNS Canada –– Timely rains have drastically improved the forage crop outlooks for Saskatchewan and Manitoba, while also putting prices back into their normal ranges. “Skyrocketing hay prices have stabilized… supplies are good,” said Terry Kowalchuk, a provincial forage crop specialist in Regina. Prices are mostly back down into the $80-$100 per tonne range, he […] Read more
Feed: Ukraine, U.S. corn harvest advancing
CNS Canada — Following are a few highlights in the Canadian and world feed grains markets on Friday, Oct. 16. • CBOT corn futures were posting small losses at midday Friday, with the December contract quoted at US$3.74 per bushel, as the advancing U.S. harvest and relatively favourable yield reports weighed on values. • Ukraine […] Read more
Feed: Australian drought hurts grain production
CNS Canada — Following are a few highlights in the Canadian and world feed grains markets on Thursday, Oct. 15. • CBOT corn futures were posting small losses at midday Thursday, with the December contract quoted at US$3.77 per bushel, as the advancing U.S. harvest and relatively favourable yield reports weighed on values. • Drought […] Read more
Feed: Russia may plant more feed, U.K. less
CNS Canada — Following are a few highlights in the Canadian and world feed grains markets on Wednesday, Oct. 14. • CBOT corn futures were down by two to three cents per bushel (US$) at midday Wednesday, as the advancing U.S. harvest and relatively favourable yield reports weighed on values. • Barley futures on India’s […] Read more
Feed: Corn edges up, world supplies tighten
CNS Canada — Following are a few highlights in the Canadian and world feed grains markets on Tuesday, Oct. 13. • CBOT corn futures were up by three to four cents per bushel on Tuesday, as a rally in the neighbouring soybean market provided support. However, the advancing U.S. harvest and improving yield prospects kept […] Read more
Cool, wet conditions shut down harvest, yields continue to improve
Alberta Crop Conditions as of October 6, 2015
Reading Time: 2 minutes Producers were able to make good use of a few days of good harvest weather this past week before being shut down again by cool, wet conditions on the weekend. Over 72 per cent of the province has now been harvested, up 15 percentage points from last week. A further 17 per cent of crops […] Read more
When it makes sense to have cattle custom fed
Freight costs, yardage, and the ‘opportunity cost’ of your labour may be the deciding factors
Reading Time: 2 minutes Trucking in hay is very expensive this year, but you still have to run the numbers to decide if it’s better to buy feed or have cattle custom fed, says a provincial farm business management specialist. The first step is to calculate the cost of putting feed into the feed bunk, said Dean Dyck. This […] Read more