Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $3-$5 higher while calf prices advanced $1-$3 on average. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis of $360/cwt last week, up $3-$10 from a week earlier. Using a 60 per cent grading, live prices would be equivalent to $216. Feeding margins have improved […] Read more
Klassen: Alberta fed cattle lead feeder market higher
Traders expecting more barley acres this year
Prairie cash wheat: Reds higher, durum dips
U.S. wheat futures up on the week
MarketsFarm — Wheat prices on the Canadian Prairies saw modest increases in the red spring varieties during the week ended Thursday, while durum stepped back. Significant gains in the U.S. wheat complex spilled over into Canadian cash prices, but stronger Canadian dollar tempered further increases. Ongoing concerns about dry conditions in the U.S., especially the […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Prices continue to soften as April approaches
Seeding start in Alberta remains a question mark
MarketsFarm — Corn is still moving into feedlots in southern Alberta as it approaches not only the end of its contracts, but also the end of winter. “We’ve been seeing here in Lethbridge prices at $395-$400 per tonne ($10.03-$10.16 per bushel),” said Erin Harakal, trade manager at Agfinity Inc. at Stony Plain, Alta. “It seems […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market eyes feed grain complex
Downside expected in new-crop barley prices
Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded steady to $2 higher on average. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis in the range of $353-$357/cwt delivered last week, up from the average price of $348/cwt delivered seven days earlier. Strength in the fed cattle market continues to support the […] Read more
Sparing grassland from the plow — and from housing developments
A landowner-led group has more than 60 conservation easements covering about 40,000 acres of prime native grassland, foothills and riparian areas
Reading Time: 4 minutes A southern Alberta organization is having success with conservation agreements to keep the environment and cattle ranching intact. “The easement is very pro-grazing and ranching,” said Justin Thompson, executive director of the Southern Alberta Land Trust Society (SALTS). “There’s not a lot of restrictions around the actual operation. What we want to avoid is those […] Read more
New chair takes the reins at ABP
Brodie Haugan says important issues include the decline in the cow herd and the long-term health of the cow-calf sector
Reading Time: 3 minutes The youngest-ever chair of Alberta Beef Producers says he’s excited to bring the voice of the next generation to the organization. “To be honest, when I first got involved with ABP, I had no intent of getting to the top position,” said 32-year-old Brodie Hagen, who ranches near Orion. “I just saw the opportunity to […] Read more
Grain producers give railways credit where due
A mild winter has helped keep grain moving with few disruptions, but there are some concerns about containers
Reading Time: 4 minutes In the history of Prairie grain farming, a headline saying farmers are happy with the railways is not seen often, but it’s apt for this crop year. CN recently announced a record-setting February in which it moved more than 2.4 million tonnes of grain from Western Canada that month. CP had similar reasons to boast, […] Read more
Controlling herbicide-resistant kochia requires some different strategies
While tillage in general can harm soil health, a strategic targeted approach can help bury the seed
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s time for a new mode of action for kochia control, but not one found in a jug of chemical. “We’ve had several years in a row of favourable conditions for kochia growth. That also can contribute to selection pressure for resistance, when herbicides are some of the primary measures that we’re using to manage […] Read more
Alberta bucks trend in live lamb prices
Préval Ag plant and feedlot purchase seen as positive for the sector
Reading Time: < 1 minute Provincial live lamb prices reported by Statistics Canada show an annual decrease in 2022 compared to 2021 for all provinces except Alberta, says Ann Boyda, provincial livestock market analyst with the Alberta government. “Alberta average live weight price was reported at $242.44 per hundredweight for 2022, up 4.7 per cent from 2021. Ontario has normally […] Read more
Alberta farmland values up 10 per cent on average
Alberta's increase comes in below a national average that exceeded expectations
Reading Time: 4 minutes Average Alberta farmland values rose 10 per cent in 2022, according to Farm Credit Canada statistics released March 13. That’s less than the 12.8 per cent average for the rest of the country, but it’s the largest increase the province has seen since 2015, when prices rose 11.6 per cent. Last year’s figure follows increases […] Read more