CNS Canada — After a slight delay to the start of seeding in southern Alberta, producers are out in the fields and it doesn’t yet look like they have seeded more shorter-season acres, such as in feed barley. “Southern Alberta is a little bit later than normal (for starting seeding). But most areas, they’re kind […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: For barley acres, seeding delays will tell tale

Alberta malt barley quality looking good
CNS Canada — Despite a wet spring and problems with dryness in the summer, barley in central Alberta is looking fairly good, according to a grower in the Red Deer area. “We had a really good malt crop this year, the quality is excellent,” said Matt Hamill of Red Shed Malting at Red Deer. “It […] Read more

Trade looks to potential, not projections, post-StatsCan data
CNS Canada — The commodity trade has turned its focus forward following fresh data from Statistics Canada. “The acreage numbers are important, but this game right now is all about weather,” said Mike Jubinville of ProFarmer Canada, naming spring wheat as one crop the market had been closely watching. While estimates for all wheat seeded […] Read more

Fear of feed expected to keep malt barley acres low
CNS Canada — Concerns about weather dictating the quality of malt barley is keeping producers from seeding the crop this year, one industry participant says, while weak prices offer no extra incentive. “Acres are definitely going to be down, because of the fear of getting feed barley, which is horrendously low-priced,” said Rod Green of […] Read more

Feed market awaits influx of spring-threshed grains
CNS Canada — As spring slowly approaches, western Canadian feed dealers are warily eyeing the amount of grain that may be left over on Prairie fields. “There’s a bit of concern about how much spring-threshed grain we may see here in the next few weeks,” said Allan Pirness of Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge. “That’s […] Read more

Food production in Syria reported at all-time low
Geneva | Reuters — Food production has dropped to an all-time low in Syria where millions of hungry civilians are struggling through their sixth winter in a war zone, United Nations agencies said Tuesday. Many farmers have had to abandon their land, unable to afford the soaring cost of seeds, fertilizers and tractor fuel, the […] Read more

Klassen: Feeder cattle market experiences thin trade
Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were relatively unchanged from week-ago levels. Many auction barns are in holiday mode and the shortened holiday week further shrunk market activity. In any case, feedlot operations on both sides of the border are focused on selling fed cattle and assessing current financial damage rather than bringing in replacements. The […] Read more

Short-term barley prices seen likely to downtrend
CNS Canada — Feed barley prices are moving slowly with hand-to-mouth buying as the crop moves into harvest, when already low prices will likely hit a downtrend. However, prices will likely recover into autumn, depending on how farmers choose to act, from where one market analyst sits. “If the farmers aren’t willing to sell at […] Read more

Questions abound ahead of StatsCan acreage report
CNS Canada — Statistics Canada will release its updated acreage estimates for the year on Tuesday, but the timing of the survey could lead to more questions and second-guessing than normal given the likely adjustments and yield losses over the past month. The survey was conducted before a drought took hold in Alberta and Saskatchewan, […] Read more