Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices traded $3-$5 on either side of unchanged. Auction market volumes are growing in Saskatchewan and Manitoba; however, central Alberta prices held a definite premium of $8-$10 over the eastern Prairie regions. Ontario orders are starting to surface in Manitoba but prices were out of reach with Alberta […] Read more

Klassen: Feeder market experiences mixed tone

Clubroot able to beat resistant canola reaches Manitoba
A strain of clubroot able to club the roots of some resistant canola varieties has made its way east to Manitoba. Manitoba’s agriculture department reported Friday that clubroot pathotype 3A — a strain that can “overcome some first-generation sources of genetic resistance” in commercial canola — has been positively identified in the south-central rural municipality […] Read more

Debunking the myths about beef with the facts and truth
Reading Time: 4 minutes Jordan Vos, 21, of Burdett was the senior winner in the Alberta Young Speakers for Agriculture competition at the Calgary Stampede. She chose the topic: ‘Bust a myth in Canadian agriculture.’ Take a deep breath, smell the juicy burger with all the fixin’s… featuring an all-Canadian beef burger! Mmmm Mmmm! One of the biggest myths […] Read more

Producers can reduce carbon hoofprint while boosting profitability
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you want to raise more environmentally friendly cows, there are several things you can do, say experts. And make money from doing them. Over the last 30 years, the beef sector has improved efficiency by 15 per cent, but it can still do more to reduce methane emissions, said John Basarab, senior research scientist […] Read more

‘Gin is in’ — spirit’s sales soar here and abroad
Reading Time: 3 minutes Gin was all the rage in the Roaring ’20s — and it seems the cycle is repeating itself a century later. “Gin is in,” said Matthew Hendriks, distiller at Park Distillery in Banff. This simple message was put on a billboard between Calgary and Banff, and in front of the distillery itself, which opened in […] Read more

Even in summer it’s cold up there — and that’s good
Reading Time: 4 minutes Last issue, we looked at how precipitation forms in warm clouds. But in reality, most of our summertime precipitation comes from thunderstorms, which primarily consist of cold clouds, so we’ll take a look at what cold clouds are and how precipitation forms in them. In general, a cold cloud is one that has at least […] Read more

StatsCan production report may show stronger yields
MarketsFarm — A challenging growing season across the Prairies has left questions in the market ahead of Statistics Canada’s production report, due out Wednesday. “It’s hard to get a handle on canola this year because, at this stage, the farmers are going to be a bit conservative and err on the side of caution,” said […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Old-, new-crop barley prices converge
MarketsFarm — Feed grains prices have been softening as old-crop and new-crop prices converge during harvest. Tracy Green, a grain broker with Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton, said Feedlot Alley is “well-covered” and waiting for harvest. However, buyers in central Alberta are seeing prices around $237 delivered for old-crop barley. For deliveries into Lethbridge for […] Read more

Klassen: Feeder cattle falter under fed cattle uncertainty
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices were down $2-$4 on average. The feeder cattle market was hard to define due to limited volumes; however, prices were down $2 to as much as $6 in some cases. The Aug. 9 fire at a Tyson packing plant near Holcomb, Kansas set a negative tone for […] Read more

Oats market steady, watching harvest
MarketsFarm — Western Canada’s oats market is stable at prices a bit better than a year ago, as harvest gets underway and participants wait to see how much will move off the combine to the market. Early yield reports range anywhere from 80 to 140 bushels per acre, said Tyler Palmer, grain buyer with Emerson […] Read more