MarketsFarm — Corn has become the primary feed grain in Alberta feedlots due to its lower price compared to barley and wheat. However, rising corn prices in the U.S. and transportation issues are causing some buyers to give pause. “Basic levels are a little bit stronger. (Add in) the exchange rate, there are a little […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Corn seeing higher prices, transportation delays
Farm receipts higher despite drought
Reading Time: < 1 minute Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is predicting farm cash receipts will rise in Alberta this year — but not by much. FCC said that 2021 was “a good year” for Canadian farmers and it estimates the final tally for farm cash receipts will be up by 10 per cent (to $79.2 billion). In Alberta, they will […] Read more
StatsCan confirms tight grain and oilseed stocks
Canadian corn stocks up on year
MarketsFarm — Canada’s tight supplies of canola, wheat and other crops following the 2021 Prairie drought received more confirmation from Statistics Canada with the release of updated stocks data on Tuesday. Canola stocks, as of Dec. 31, 2021, of 7.6 million tonnes were down 43 per cent from the previous year and the tightest since […] Read more
Drought conditions ease slightly across Prairies
MarketsFarm — Mixed precipitation throughout January helped drought conditions improve across much of the Canadian Prairies during the month, according to the latest Drought Monitor report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), released Tuesday. Conditions have deteriorated in some areas, however, and the majority of Western Canada was still in some kind of drought state. […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Pulse stocks drop due to drought
MarketsFarm — Statistics Canada’s latest report on stocks of principal field crops clearly demonstrated how much of an effect last summer’s historic drought in Western Canada had on pulse crops. According to the report released Tuesday, last December’s total domestic stocks for dry peas, chickpeas, lentils and soybeans all declined from the year earlier. Those […] Read more
Farmers are better able to cope with dry times, say veteran producers
Reducing moisture loss through practices such as no till and rotational grazing are major advances
Reading Time: 3 minutes A series of droughts in the ’80s was a defining event for a generation of Alberta farmers. But two producers who farmed through those times have a hopeful message: Better technology and management practices have put farmers in a much better position to handle extreme weather. “In the mid-’80s — 1982 through 1985 — we […] Read more
Year-end profits up for CN, CP despite lower grain handles
Railways' ledgers weather drought, B.C. disasters
Both of Canada’s big two railways were able to improve their overall gross and net in 2021 over 2020 despite a yield-robbing drought and disastrous track and bridge washouts in southern British Columbia. Canadian National Railway (CN) on Tuesday reported 2021 net income of $4.892 billion on $14.477 billion in gross revenue, up from $3.784 […] Read more
Transport strains pile on drought-induced feed shortages
Importing U.S. corn not cheap
Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian farmers say they are just days away from running out of feed for cattle, due to severe drought last summer damaging crops needed to fatten them over winter and transportation bottlenecks. The drought devastated Prairie pastures and has now forced feedlots in Alberta, the main cattle-producing province, to buy more […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Early signs point to larger Canadian crops
MarketsFarm — Early signs point to a sizeable increase in Canadian pulse production in 2022-23, but co-operative weather will be needed to meet those expectations. Strong returns over the past year relative to other crops should encourage farmers to seed more peas and lentils in 2022, according to the first outlook for the new crop […] Read more
When it’s this pricey, handle fertilizer with care
Do a soil test, and realize what has happened to your nutrients after the drought, says expert
Reading Time: 3 minutes Between drought and the soaring price of fertilizer, you might want to manage your grain farm a little differently this year. “In a dry year, there will be reduced crop growth and reduced nutrient uptake,” soil scientist Rigas Karamanos said at Agronomy Update earlier this month. “We had plenty of heat, but not moisture. Consequently, […] Read more
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