MarketsFarm — Growing drought concerns in the U.S. and improved export numbers led to higher bids for western Canadian wheat for the week ended Thursday. However, a mid-week selloff on the futures market held back some gains. The southern U.S. Plains, which are a growing area for hard red winter wheat, have been affected by […] Read more
Prairie cash wheat: Bids show small gains
Minneapolis, K.C. March wheats up on week
Klassen: Higher fed cattle prices pull up feeder market
Compared to last week, replacement cattle over 800 lbs. traded $10-$15 higher; some quality packages were up $20 from week-ago levels. Feeder cattle weighing 600-800 lbs. traded $4-$8 higher; calves under 600 lbs. were up $6-$10 on average, with some packages in Alberta up as much as $15 from last week. Strength in the fed […] Read more
Prairie cash wheat: Lower U.S. prices pull back bids
U.S. March wheat futures down on week
MarketsFarm — Wheat bids in Western Canada retreated by double digits for Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) and Canada Prairie Spring Red (CPSR) wheats, while those for Canada Western Amber Durum (CWAD) declined more moderately. Significant decreases in U.S. wheat markets and a stronger Canadian dollar combined to weaken Prairie prices. Average CWRS (13.5 protein) […] Read more
Precipitation eases drought conditions on Prairies
Hardest-hit Manitoba sees 'modest' improvements
MarketsFarm — Varied amounts of precipitation are either maintaining or alleviating drought conditions in much of the Prairies, according to the latest nationwide drought map from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Canadian Drought Monitor (CDM). The latest assessment for the period ended Nov. 30 showed very few areas of worsening drought in the region with […] 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
Klassen: Feeder market stabilizes
Cow-calf producers selling sooner than normal
Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle prices traded $2-$3 on either side of unchanged. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis at $275 delivered; the Alberta fed market has rallied $10-$12 over the past couple weeks. Secondly, U.S. feeder cattle prices have also rallied US$10-US$12 during the same time frame […] Read more
Prairie cash wheat: Bids mixed, watching futures and currency
U.S. wheat futures down on week
MarketsFarm — Wheat bids across Western Canada were mixed during the week ended Thursday, as losses in U.S. futures were countered by the supportive influence of a weaker Canadian dollar. Average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS, 13.5 per cent protein) wheat prices were up by $5.20-$10.10 per tonne, according to price quotes from a cross-section […] Read more
Alberta EFP links up with global sustainability program
You’ve likely never heard of the SAI Platform but its members are global food and beverage giants
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Alberta Environmental Farm Plan has a new component that enables producers to qualify for a sustainability standard recognized by the food sector’s biggest players. “Producers can use this tool to receive credit for the global standard called Farm Sustainability Assessment,” said Lisa Nadeau of the Agricultural Research and Extension Council of Alberta, which operates […] Read more
Late enrolment in AgriStability not much help, says Alberta Wheat
An uncertain AgriStability payout a year from now won’t help grain farmers facing cash flow issues
Reading Time: 3 minutes Allowing for late participation in AgriStability is unlikely to help Alberta producers facing a cash flow crunch. “We’re going to be going into a period of significant cash flow shortages for farmers — maybe not all, but many,” said Tom Steve, general manager of Alberta Wheat and Barley. “Late enrolment would be fine, but is […] Read more
The province’s ‘historic’ irrigation expansion has got even bigger
Two new districts join in and now nearly a quarter of a million more acres will be irrigated
Reading Time: 2 minutes It was a low-key announcement with some very sizable numbers. A historic expansion of Alberta’s irrigation network is getting bigger — another 30,000 acres are being added at a cost of $118 million. The expansion was announced earlier this month by Premier Jason Kenney without the fanfare of the original announcement a year ago, which […] Read more
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