CNS Canada — Prices for feed barley and wheat don’t appear ready to spike anytime soon, as farmers across Western Canada continue to dump supplies containing high concentrations of vomitoxin and fusarium into feedlots. “Steady as it goes here is the tone,” said Allan Pirness of Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge. “We’re looking to clean […] Read more

Low-quality feed being dumped on market

Plentiful feed supplies weigh on feed barley prices
CNS Canada — A steady stream of fusarium-damaged wheat is flooding Alberta feedlots these days, giving ranchers a variety of choices on what they can give to their animals — but also keeping feed barley prices in check. “That has definitely been heavy on the barley,” said Allan Pirness of Marketplace Commodities in Lethbridge. That […] Read more

Rising durum bids topping out in Western Canada
CNS Canada — Durum bids in Western Canada posted solid gains over the past two months, with concerns over the quality of the crop behind much of the strength. Prices are showing signs of topping out, though — and the highs may be in for now. Spot durum bids in southern Saskatchewan, where the bulk […] Read more

Rising feed grain prices set to hit seasonal plateau
CNS Canada –– Feed barley bids in Alberta have shown some strength over the past few weeks, but may be nearing their highs if seasonal price trends come into play. Barley in the key cattle feeding area of Lethbridge, Alta. is currently trading at about $170 per tonne, up by about $10 over the past […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn jumps on positioning, new signals of feed demand
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures jumped Friday on quarter-end positioning and government crop data that signalled livestock producers had not cut back on feeding the grain in favour of wheat, as some traders had expected. Prices rose after the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a quarterly crop report, said 1.738 billion bushels of […] Read more

Klassen: Feeder market drops on fed cattle weakness
Alberta packers were buying fed cattle in the range of $128-$130 this past week — the lowest levels since December 2013 and down nearly $18 from a month ago. Weekly beef production continues to defy expectations, bludgeoning feeding margins across the Prairies. Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were quick to respond, trading $8-$10 below week-ago […] Read more

Overcrowded feed market eats into profitability
CNS Canada — Alberta’s feed grain market is overcrowded with sellers, driving prices lower in a trend one market participant says is expected to stay for the near-term. “Farmers keep asking if there’s a lot of grain out there, and that’s not really the main reason markets are falling off,” said Jared Seitz of Agfinity […] Read more

Poor-quality world wheat headed for feed
Black Sea export shipments are discounted $25 a tonne to corn
Reuters — From the heart of the U.S. big farm belt to Colombia, Vietnam and Indonesia, livestock producers are snapping up wheat damaged by bad weather or low in protein, providing pigs and poultry with grain more often milled for making bread. The increased global purchases of cheap, poor-quality wheat for animal feed comes as a […] Read more

Klassen: Feeder market remains in summer doldrums
Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were quite variable over the past week. Cattle weighing over 700 lbs. were under pressure while calves appeared to trade steady with week-ago levels. The Calgary Stampede period is one week that cattle men and women don’t worry about markets and just enjoy the celebration of fine culture. Small groups […] Read more

Sluggish demand, ample supplies eat into Lethbridge feed prices
CNS Canada — Lethbridge feed wheat and barley prices have dropped after a muted spring rally — and they’re likely to stay low throughout the summer, market participants say. “They have a weak tone to them. I think a lot of it is lacklustre demand domestically,” said Allen Pirness, trader at Market Place Commodities in […] Read more