The feeder market was hard to define this week. The quality of yearlings was quite variable. Fleshier types were heavily discounted while quality packages were unchanged from seven days earlier. Calf prices were mostly unchanged; however, values were down $4-$6 in drier pockets of southern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba. Southern Alberta barley prices were quoted […] Read more

Klassen: Drier conditions will influence feeder market

Forecast, flea beetles complicate canola timing
Dry conditions make ideal seeding time difficult to peg
Drought conditions, and the odds of more to come, have some Prairie canola growers pondering when to roll the dice on seeding, if they want to do more than feed the flea beetles. Small-seeded crops, such as canola, have garnered particular concern from agronomists and producers worried about germination, given power dry topsoil across much […] Read more

ICE weekly outlook: Rain needed to bolster canola crop
MarketsFarm | Rain — specifically, the lack thereof — is quickly becoming the key issue for canola values, according to Ken Ball of PI Financial in Winnipeg. Until now, dry conditions across much of the Prairies have not been much a factor in canola prices, he said. “We’ve got to get some rain in a […] Read more

Eastern drought zones set for livestock tax deferrals
Regions designated in P.E.I., N.S., N.B., Quebec
In a decision that may have come late for some, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and parts of southeastern Quebec and northwestern Nova Scotia have been declared drought zones for eligible livestock producers’ 2020 tax purposes. The federal government on Monday released its list and map of prescribed drought regions where tax deferral on sales […] Read more

‘Extreme drought’ expands in Prairies
Southern Manitoba, southeastern Saskatchewan parched
MarketsFarm — The newly released map from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Canadian Drought Monitor (CDM) shows the Prairies’ ongoing drought getting worse. According to AAFC’s nationwide map released on Friday, southwestern Manitoba, parts of southern Saskatchewan and the southeast corner of Alberta are under CDM’s classification of Extreme (D3) drought as of April 30. Communities […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Drought, demand deplete southern Alberta stocks
MarketsFarm — Prices for feed grains are continuing to go up — and with depleted stocks and dry conditions forecast for the Prairies, they are likely to rise a bit more. “There’s a shortage of corn. Corn’s at over $400 (per tonne) in southern Alberta. You’ve got barley that’s pushing over $340-$350 and that’s a […] Read more

Klassen: Cattle producers facing drought-like conditions
Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis in the range of $262-$265 delivered this past week. Using a 60 per cent grading, the live price would be in the range of $157-$159. If a feedlot booked the bulk of its feed grains earlier in winter, feeding margins are now hovering in positive […] Read more

Prairie cash wheat: Bids soar after weather events
U.S. May wheat futures up on week
MarketsFarm — Cash bids for Prairie wheat jumped as wintry weather made its way across the Prairies and U.S. northern Plains during the week ending Thursday. Wheat futures in the U.S. rose due to spillover from soybeans. However, a stronger Canadian dollar tempered Prairie wheat prices. Manitoba and Saskatchewan, as well as Montana, North Dakota […] Read more

Prairies hit hard by drought
Parts of south-central, southwestern Manitoba among driest
MarketsFarm — A new nationwide drought map released by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Canadian Drought Monitor (CDM) shows just how dry conditions are in the Prairies, especially in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Areas in southern Manitoba and southern Saskatchewan have experienced at least six months of drought conditions, according to CDM’s drought assessment as of March […] Read more

Manitoba forage, grassland growers burned by drought
MarketsFarm — An ongoing lack of precipitation, which is showing no signs of letting up in the coming months according to weather forecasts, is already causing problems for Manitoba’s forage and grasslands. Growers in the province have had to deal with three straight years with lower-than-normal precipitation. In 2019, multiple rural municipalities in Manitoba’s Parkland […] Read more