Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle prices were relatively unchanged. Volumes are quite thin at this time of year, which makes the market hard to define. Steady demand surfaced on quality groups of yearlings and calves, while late stragglers and heavier-flesh feeders were severely discounted. Pasture conditions are favourable across the Prairies and […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market in summer mode
Set-aside program not having much effect yet on prices
Feed weekly outlook: Prices to soften as new crop year nears
MarketsFarm — Prices for feed barley and wheat will decline as the new crop year gets closer, according to Erin Harakal, senior trader with Agfinity at Stony Plain, Alta. Harakal said the new crop should start coming off of the fields around the end of August and the beginning of September. “Usually at this time […] Read more
Prairie summer weather patterns to hold for now
MarketsFarm — No major changes in the current weather patterns on the Prairies are expected at this time, according to a pair of weather experts. So far this summer, the region’s weather has been highlighted by warmer and generally drier conditions in the eastern Prairies, while the western portion has been cooler with a great […] Read more
Packing plants back on track, but future uncertain
With a huge backlog of animals to work through, cattle groups are fearful of what comes next
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta’s beef-packing plants are working at or near full capacity but the crisis is not over yet, say cattle leaders. “Our processing capacity has continued to increase over the past few weeks and cattle prices have been relatively strong, but markets are still vulnerable to a disruption in the processing plants,” Alberta Beef Producers chair […] Read more
Attention turns to yield potential after StatsCan report
Future tweaks to acreage numbers seen as unlikely to sway markets
MarketsFarm — Updated acreage estimates from Statistics Canada came largely within market expectations, with the focus now shifting to growing conditions and yield potential. The survey was completed in early June “and may not have captured all of the seeding delays and potential shifts that may have happened in central/northern Alberta and northwestern Saskatchewan because […] Read more
Canola area expected to be lower in Monday’s StatsCan report
Later-seeded areas expected to add pulse, barley, durum acres
MarketsFarm — Market participants generally expect canola acreage will be revised downward in a second acreage estimate due out Monday from Statistics Canada. “There’s a lot of uncertainty about canola acres,” Ken Ball of P.I. International in Winnipeg said, noting acreage was “definitely lost” in central and northern Alberta due to wet spring conditions. In […] Read more
Aurora Cannabis to shut five Canadian grows
Closures mean layoffs for 30 per cent of firm's production staff
Edmonton marijuana producer Aurora Cannabis is poised to close five of its grow sites across Canada and lay off almost a third of its production workforce. The company on Tuesday announced next steps in the “business transformation plan” it launched in February to “better align the business financially with the current realities of the cannabis […] Read more
Flea beetle damage ‘moderate’ across Prairies so far
Levels in Manitoba hit thresholds for spraying, reseeding canola
MarketsFarm — Flea beetles, cutworms and diamondback moths are only a few of the pests Prairie farmers have to deal with — and this year, so far, damage from flea beetles and cutworms has varied, as have moth counts. “Flea beetles are common throughout the Prairies, everywhere we grow canola. We haven’t been able to […] Read more
Klassen: Weaker fed cattle prices weigh on feeder market
Rain-soaked pens sidelined some Alberta feedlots
Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets were relatively unchanged but a softer tone was noted in the non-major feeding regions. Most auction barns are in summer mode and the quality of feeders coming on the market is quite variable. However, at major centers in Alberta, healthy strings of yearlings were well bid […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Barley prices close to ceiling
MarketsFarm — Feed barley prices, which climbed during May, have very likely risen as far as they can go, said Nelson Neumann, senior trader with Agfinity at Stony Plain, Alta. “We’re at the point where corn can be a cheaper alternative. There’s a ceiling on the market and we’re pretty much at that ceiling,” Neumann […] Read more
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