CP Farms is family owned and operated with 2,500 acres near Barnwell, another 1,000 in Vauxhall and 500 in Raymond.

The farm primarily grows potatoes, but grain, corn, and sugar beets helps fill out four-year rotations to suppress disease and resistance.

Much of its equipment comes from Europe.

“Our soil type is a lot more similar to Western Europe versus the U.S. A lot of the U.S-built equipment are built to operate in very sandy conditions, where we have more of a clay soil. So the European equipment works way better with that,” said owner Michel Camps, a husband and father of four.

“I would say 50 per cent of the acres in southern Alberta are harvested or handled with European equipment.”

Camps prides himself on the quality seed he uses.

CP Farms multiplies about 50 per cent of its seed itself once, shipping high-generation seed from the Lacombe-Red Deer-Edmonton area.

Planters can plant about 100 acres a day with tillage capabilities, and cover crops are used in rotations to shelter soil from the windy conditions of southern Alberta.

Plenty of science and technology is used to power CP Farms, including fertilizer spreaders that have weather stations and radar. CP Farms spreads 7,000 to 8,000 tonnes of manure or compost on its land every year to improve soil health and nutrients.

“It will correct its spreading patterns reading the winds. It’s very precise in applying fertilizer. Fertilizer is very expensive and we want it where it belongs,” said Camps.

As well, receiving lines for the potatoes have Sputnik Airsep, which separates the rocks, vines, leaves and lumps from the valuable crop.

CP Farms grows four varieties of potatoes and stores 24,000 tonnes in eight bins at its Barnwell-area operation and another 9,000 tonnes in Vauxhall.

Seventy per cent of the farm’s potatoes end up in McDonald’s french fries, although McCain’s also sells to other local quick-serve restaurants as well.

Camps said not every potato is created equal for consumption.

“The McCain french fries you you see in the grocery store are not from here; they came from Manitoba,” said Camps.

“We grow four different varieties and they are all McDonald’s approved. In Manitoba, they grow 10 to 15 different varieties. Some varieties, they do really well on the retail side, which is usually a shorter cut and a shorter fry. McDonald’s prefers the longer skinnier fries.”

CP Farms can load potatoes 365 days a year and store them in a climate-controlled environment.

The storage bins are insulated to three times the regular house standards to protect against the swings of southern Alberta weather, which can range from harsh winters to cooking summers. Storage temperature is kept at about 10 C and 98 per cent humidity.

“It is important we have a constant and steady environment for potatoes,” Camps said.

“If the temperatures go up and down all the time, the potatoes are going to produce sugars. The sugars will caramelize in the frying process and make your fries look dark, which isn’t what we want.”

He said the farm uses about $15,000 worth of power a month when the bins are full.

The longer a potato is stored, the higher its price to compensate for the greater input costs that are required to keep the potato in top shape.

“We grow about 40,000 tonnes of potatoes, and 15 per cent of that volume gets harvested and sent straight to the factory (direct delivery),” he said.

“There are no farmers who have direct delivery exclusive contracts. If you want to grow potatoes in Alberta, you have to have the ability to store.”

He said direct delivery are the cheapest potatoes in his contracts.

“You have power, building depreciation, interest costs. The potatoes they buy from refrigerated storage in August, don’t forget, there’s $3 million worth of potatoes in this building if it’s full. If I had that in an investment, making four or five per cent, that all has to be accounted for. Every two weeks my contract price goes up. The potatoes are mine until they are on the scale, so I take all the risk as well (in storage). It’s still a living crop.”

There are only three weeks of the year — from around Christmas to early January — when CP Farms has no full-time staff. The operation buzzes with activityfor the rest of the year to keep it running.

“Not only do you have to run the farm, I also have to keep the shop busy. I have to order the parts. We have 200 pieces of equipment we have to service every year. That takes a lot of planning” said Camps.

“That is when I do all my crop planning, I order my fertilizer. I put my plan together for this year and next year because I know where my 2026 potatoes are going to go, but I need to know where my 2027 potatoes are going to go because that’s where the grain is going to go this year. It’s a multi-year plan.”

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NewCold’s $222 million state-of-the-art food storage facility in Coaldale’s industrial park is slated for a late-June opening date. The firm has 22 warehouses on three continents, offering a combined capacity of more than 1.5 million pallet positions.

Coaldale Mayor Jack Van Rijn was pleased with the relative speed in which NewCold agreed to open up shop in the southern Alberta community of more than 8,900 people, with other regions in Canada wanting to do similar projects.

“From the time we were first introduced to the executive of NewCold, it took 10 months… for them to be committed to the Town of Coaldale,” he said. “In comparison, they are trying to build one right now in Ontario and they’ve been at it for two-and-a-half years and they (hadn’t) even got to the development permit stage yet.”

Van Rijn made the comments at a ‘state of the region’ address in Taber earlier in 2025.

“It goes to show you through the guidance of our MLA Grant Hunter in red tape reduction in how we can move forward in getting a project the size of this in southern Alberta,” he said.

The facility will sit on 37 acres of Coaldale’s industrial park and is 320,000 square feet and 150 feet high. The cold storage facility has the capability of storing 56,000 pallets of frozen vegetables.

Van Rijn said in this case it will likely be frozen french fries, as a well-known producer of that commodity is said to be interested in leasing 100 per cent of the first phase.

The automated facility will be capable of loading or unloading a semi truck in six minutes or less without a human hand touching it. There have been 230 people building the facility, with an estimated 50-60 being employed when it becomes fully operational.

“This facility is inclined to reduce the carbon foot print associated with traditional cold storage. It uses 50 per cent less energy by employing cutting-edge insulation techniques and fully-automated processing,” said Van Rijn.

In getting the product out to global markets, NewCold, with financial assistance from the Alberta government, will partner with Coaldale to invest in the extension of Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) connectivity to the property, a necessity to reduce the environmental footprint, Van Rijn said.

The spur line to the NewCold facility is 2.6 kilometres long with costs of the $8 million project shared between NewCold and the Town of Coaldale 50/50. There is potential for other spur lines to come up in the Coaldale area if other industry comes calling. The spur line gives businesses ready access to export their products with ease and security either domestically or internationally. The investment will go into municipal rail lines to develop Coaldale into an export hub.

“The facility is a game changer for Coaldale and all of southern Alberta. This NewCold investment is the largest singular investment in the history of our community,” said Van Rijn. “We’re looking forward to the opening. This is only the first phase, the second phase is something they are very tight lipped about when it’s going to occur. This particular (phase) is 100 per cent leased out and they needed that commitment before they started entertaining the second phase. Our hope is that the construction teams will just stay there and keep building, but we don’t have any confirmation on that at this point.”

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The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) will be closed on Thursday for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.

Reductions in beef cold storage supplies last month should be supportive after the Thanksgiving holiday, said Altin Kalo, economist at Steiner Consulting Group.

“There’s more beef out there, but the drawdown in inventory was quite substantial in October,” he said.

Boxed beef values were mixed on Wednesday, with choice cuts falling $3.22, to $253.41/cwt, while select cuts gained 33 cents, to $234.51, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said (all figures US$).

Most-active CME February live cattle futures eased one cent, to 155.425 cents/lb. Nearby December live cattle fell 0.45 cent to finish at 153.35 cents/lb.

CME January feeder cattle lost 2.425 cents to 179.25 cents/lb.

CME lean hog futures also eased on Wednesday, though Kalo noted underlying support in hogs as well.

“The thing that sticks out the most to me is what’s going on with hog carcass weights. Usually you see those moving higher this time of year, and they’re not. that tells you the producer is pretty current.”

The most-active February lean hogs contract settled 1.275 cents lower at 88.8 cents/lb.

— Christopher Walljasper reports on agriculture and ag commodities for Reuters from Chicago.

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“With a short week, you won’t have to have as aggressive a cash trade to fill out the packer needs for the week. So that takes the spark away from hogs and cattle,” said Matt Wiegand, risk management consultant at FuturesOne.

Most-active CME February live cattle futures eased 0.3 cent to 156.425 cents/lb. after reaching 156.875 cents (all figures US$). Nearby December live cattle added 0.25 cent to finish at 153.8 cents/lb.

CME January feeder cattle lost 0.95 cents to 181.675 cents/lb.

Boxed beef values firmed, with choice cuts adding $1.06, to $256.63/cwt, while select cuts gained 95 cents, to $234.18, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

U.S. frozen beef stocks in cold storage through October 31 fell three per cent from September to 509.949 million lbs., USDA said in a report released after the markets closed. Frozen beef is up eight per cent from the same month a year earlier.

CME lean hog futures also trimmed on Tuesday, lacking direction ahead of USDA’s cold storage report that showed lower month-over-month supplies but a sizeable increase compared to 2021.

U.S. frozen pork belly stocks of 40.196 million lbs. as of October 31 were up 246 per cent from last year, USDA said.

“Bellies are much more plentiful, which should keep the cutout from getting too carried away,” Wiegand said.

The most-active February lean hogs contract settled down 0.075 cent at 90.075 cents/lb.

— Christopher Walljasper reports on agriculture and ag commodities for Reuters from Chicago.

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CME April lean hog futures rose 2.3 cents to end at 102.55 cents/lb. (all figures US$). Most-active June hogs gained 2.9 cents to finish at 122.975 cents/lb. The June contract closed above the high end of its 20-day Bollinger range for the first time since Feb. 22.

CME’s most-active June live cattle gained 0.275 cent, to 135.975 cents/lb. The contract rose above its 20-day moving average.

May feeder cattle futures rose 0.375 cent, to 165.8 cents/lb.

The U.S. Agriculture Department said after the markets closed that pork belly stocks in cold storage totaled 50.139 million lbs. as of Feb. 28, up from 37.556 million lbs. a year earlier.

Beef stocks in cold storage rose to 532.502 million lbs. from 512.528 million at the end of February 2021.

Choice cuts of boxed beef rose by $1.39, to $261.36/cwt, by Wednesday morning, according to USDA data. Select cuts gained $1.20, to $253.09/cwt.

— Reporting for Reuters by Mark Weinraub in Chicago.

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Nearly a year later, the industry is in the middle of a speedy recovery.

At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) on Thursday, lean hog futures were either approaching or have surpassed the US$100/cwt mark, levels which haven’t been seen since October 2014.

Brad Marceniuk, a Saskatoon-based livestock economist for the government of Saskatchewan, said there are major drivers right now behind the rise in hog prices.

“Domestic markets typically get stronger into spring and summer with barbecue season increasing demand. We have also had reduced U.S. hog slaughter numbers overall the last few weeks which has reduced pork supply,” he said via email.

“Last spring, the pandemic forced many U.S. hog slaughter plants to slow down, some temporarily closing, which reduced weekly pork supplies for many weeks, reducing U.S. pork in cold storage. Previous pork in cold storage levels have not regained to pre-pandemic levels.”

One of the major drivers is China, as it continues to rebuild its hog herd decimated by African swine fever. Last winter, there were reports China was steadily growing its herd and reducing its overseas hog purchases. Now, they are starting back up again.

“Over the last few weeks there have been reports that China is again struggling to deal with African swine fever and have been forced to kill millions of pigs. This news has likely helped the lean hogs futures contracts to move higher in anticipation of higher pork exports,” Marceniuk said.

Canadian and U.S. hog markets are thriving and, despite rising feed prices taking a bite out of profits, slaughter-weight hog prices are now 60 per cent higher than the low levels seen last July, according to Marceniuk.

“I expect hog prices over the next few months to continue to be strong. We’re at the time of year where seasonal demand is stronger…If (China’s) demand picks up again, we could see a bump up in prices higher,” he added.

— Adam Peleshaty reports for MarketsFarm from Stonewall, Man.

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The U.S. Agriculture Department’s cold storage report issued on Tuesday afternoon fueled buying on Wednesday.

“Belly and trim stocks are at four-year lows, providing support for lean hog futures, along with more reports of hog losses due to disease in China raising hopes for export business,” StoneX chief commodities economist Arlan Suderman said in a research note to clients.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange April lean hog futures rose three cents to 89.425 cents/lb. (all figures US$). The front-month contract hit its highest since May 24, 2019.

Cattle futures also were firm, with bargain buying noted after the most-active live cattle April contract hit its lowest in a month.

CME April live cattle futures rose 1.025 cents to close at 122.225 cents/lb., rising above its 30-day moving average. Resistance was noted at the contract’s 20-day moving average.

CME April feeder cattle rose 2.15 cents to 144.75 cents/lb.

— Mark Weinraub is a Reuters commodities correspondent in Chicago.

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Chicago Mercantile Exchange April live cattle futures settled up 0.425 cent at 122.95 cents/lb. (all figures US$).

Boxed beef cutout values continue to strengthen, with choice cuts up $3.91 at $226.73/cwt on Monday afternoon and select cuts up $2.87 at $216.21, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Packer margins for cattle are hovering around $300 per head, according to Denver-based livestock marketing advisory service HedgersEdge.com LLC, fueling expectations of strong cash trade this week after market-ready cattle traded at around $109-$110/cwt last week.

“The packer continues to make good margins and beef continues to move aggressively,” said Don Roose, president of Iowa-based U.S. Commodities.

USDA late on Friday reported U.S. cattle feedlot placements for December at 101 per cent of a year ago, above an average of analyst expectations for 97 per cent.

The larger-than-expected figure pressured cattle futures in early moves, but traders soon shifted their focus to rising beef prices.

USDA’s Cattle on Feed report “pushed us down early. But it’s a look backwards, almost a month old, so we didn’t pay as much attention to it,” Roose said.

However, CME March feeder cattle futures ended modestly lower on Monday, finishing down 0.3 cent at 143.85 cents/lb. as corn futures rallied, signaling higher feed costs.

CME lean hog futures edged higher, with the benchmark April contract settling up 0.475 cent at 76.625 cents/lb. The spot February contract rose 0.7 cent, to 70.625 cents/lb.

A winter storm crossing the Midwest on Monday lent support, threatening to slow the movement of animals.

After Monday’s close, USDA’s monthly cold storage report showed U.S. Dec. 31 frozen beef stocks at 534.297 million pounds, up 11 per cent from a year ago, and frozen pork belly stocks at 30.715 million pounds, down 54 per cent from this time last year.

— Julie Ingwersen is a Reuters commodities correspondent in Chicago.

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Chicago Mercantile Exchange December live cattle futures settled 0.5 cent higher at 107.875 cents/lb. (all figures US$).

Market-ready cattle traded in the cash market at $107/cwt, up $1 from the bulk of last week’s trade, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

CME feeder cattle futures gained 1.975 cents to end at 135.15 cents/lb., after reaching 135.475, the highest since Oct. 8.

“China has been buying more beef recently, on the weekly sales export reports. We assume a big chunk of that is going to get shipped before the Lunar New Year. That’s fourth quarter business,” said Alan Brugler, president of Brugler Marketing.

Back-month contracts rose as strength in U.S. stock markets fueled hopes about consumer demand for high-priced cuts of beef.

“It might be a little optimism about economic growth in 2021, and maybe that would translate to more beef demand, grilling demand for next summer,” said Brugler.

Wholesale beef prices continued to strengthen, with choice cuts up 75 cents at $210.19/cwt on Wednesday afternoon and select cuts up $1.60 at $197.05, according to USDA data.

Week-to-date cattle slaughter rates are ahead of pace, compared to last week and same time last year, with 359,000 cattle processed.

Lean hog futures also gained, with the most-active December contract ending 0.95 cent higher at 66.35 cents/lb.

Hog futures were supported by several months of lower cold storage stocks that are able to handle higher slaughter, despite a seasonal uptick in hogs.

“Everything we add to production is being absorbed, either by export or domestic consumption,” said Brugler.

Weekly hog slaughter is on pace with year ago levels, at 1.475 million slaughtered, up from last week.

— Christopher Walljasper reports on agriculture and ag commodities for Reuters from Chicago.

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The USDA stocks report, released after the close on Monday, showed a record-large drop in U.S. frozen pork inventories in May and a steep drop in frozen beef supplies.

Frozen inventories plunged last month as outbreaks of the new coronavirus among meatpacking workers slowed production and exporters drew from supplies in storage.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) July lean hogs gained 0.075 cent to 46.9 cents/lb., while actively traded August jumped 1.4 cents, to 52.5 cents/lb. (all figures US$).

CME August live cattle rose 2.075 cents to 97.2 cents/lb. and August feeder cattle jumped 1.45 cents to 133.2 cents/lb.

“This is certainly a cold storage report reaction. Pork numbers were a record for any previous month and the beef numbers were the second largest decline of any previous month,” said Rich Nelson, chief strategist with Allendale Inc.

Ample supplies of livestock following coronavirus-related supply-chain disruptions continue to hang over the market.

Hog traders are looking ahead to a quarterly USDA report on Thursday that is expected to show a 3.7 per cent expansion of the U.S. hog herd in the March-to-May quarter.

Traders are also monitoring U.S. trade with China after White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Monday walked back on his earlier remarks that the U.S.-China trade pact was “over,” stoking volatility in markets already rattled by the coronavirus pandemic.

Markets are also wary about requests by Chinese authorities to certify food import shipments to be free of coronavirus contamination. Although there is no evidence that the virus can be transmitted from food to people, at least three Brazilian meat processors have signed such declarations.

— Karl Plume reports on agriculture and ag commodities for Reuters from Chicago.

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