For the week ending May 18, Western Canadian yearling markets were trading $3 to $5 higher compared to seven days earlier. Calf prices were relatively unchanged compared to the prior week. The feeder market appears to be consolidating near historical highs.

Klassen: Demand for grass cattle pushes feeder market higher

Manitoba crop report: Seeding speeds up to normal pace
Planting progress greatly accelerated across Manitoba during the week ended May 12.
The province’s crop report released on May 14 showed that seeding was at 30 per cent completion, compared to just four per cent the week before.

Prairie forecast: Cool and unsettled weather across the Prairies
For this forecast period, well, it's a bit of a mess. Overall, it looks like we could be stuck in a cool, wet pattern until the end of the month.

Pulse weekly: Yellow, green pea prices rise
India’s extension of tariff-free pea imports last month has caused a rise in Canadian prices, according to a Saskatchewan pulse merchant.

Klassen: Feeder cattle market takes defensive tone
It’s that time of year when available supplies start to decline. At the same time, demand is limited. Most backgrounding operators have sufficient numbers and demand for grassers is waning. Ontario interest was noted in Manitoba and Eastern Saskatchewan, which appeared to sustain prices near last week’s levels.

Feed Grain Weekly: A bearish market, especially in southern Alberta
Sufficient supplies of domestic barley and wheat along with the ongoing influx of corn from United States, have continued to keep a lid on feed grain prices on the Canadian Prairies. That’s especially so in southern Alberta, according to Darcy Haley, vice-president of Ag Value Brokers in Lethbridge.

Manitoba seeding progress made, but behind average pace
Planting progress in Manitoba advanced a little bit during the week ended May 7, with four per cent of the province’s crops in the ground. With the bulk of the seeding in the central region, that’s up two points from the previous week but five behind the five-year average.

Prairie forecast: Mild with a chance of showers
A large area of low pressure stalled out just south of the Prairies early this week, bringing some much-needed significant rains that stretched from western Manitoba through Saskatchewan and into Alberta. This low is forecasted to rapidly break down over the next day or so and make way for some nice late-spring weather.

Klassen: Feeder cattle experience weather market
For the week ending May 4, Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were quite variable and the market was hard to define. Alberta and certain regions of Saskatchewan received snow, which caused the market to trade $3 to $5 lower. However, in Eastern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, feeder cattle prices were steady to $3 higher.

Feed grain weekly: Seeding well underway in Alberta
Feed grain bids in the Lethbridge area were finding some support in early May as farmers in the region focus their attention on spring seeding.