We start off with high pressure dominating most of the Prairies. A large surface high is sitting over the north-central U.S. This is beginning to tap into more heat and moisture, which will allow for warmer daytime highs and nighttime lows as dewpoints creep up.
Prairie forecast: Mostly warm and dry weather expected
Forecast issued May 28, covering May 28 to June 4, 2025
Klassen: Lower beef production forecasts support feeder complex
Improving feedlot margins contributed to the stronger feeder market. Alberta packers were buying finished cattle on a dressed basis at $500/cwt delivered which was fresh record high. Using a 60 per cent grading, this equates to a live price of $300/cwt. Feedlot breakeven pen closeouts are in the range of $260-$270/cwt. Feedlots are anxious to reload and larger groups of quality packages are limited at this time of year.
Manitoba seeding 12 points ahead of pace
Most spring wheat in the ground
Manitoba farmers pushed their spring planting to 57 per cent complete as of May 21, up 24 points from a week ago, the province's agriculture department reported.
Prairie forecast: Cool and damp, then sunny and warm
Forecast issued May 21, covering May 21 to 28, 2025
For this forecast period, it seems set to dry out and warm up. I suppose that's good for the areas that recently received significant rainfall and not so good for those regions dealing with fires.
Klassen: Buying interest for feeder cattle subsides
For the week ending May 16, Western Canadian feeder markets were steady to $6 higher on average compared to seven days earlier. Heifers were relatively unchanged but steers were notably stronger, especially on replacements over 800 pounds.
Manitoba and Ontario vow to remove interprovincial trade barriers
Direct-to-consumer alcohol sales, labour mobility specifically named in memorandum of understanding between Ontario and Manitoba to improve interprovincial trade
Manitoba and Ontario have agreed to remove interprovincial trade barriers and boost the flow of goods between the two provinces.
Prairie forecast: Cool long weekend expected for Saskatchewan and Manitoba
Forecast issued May 14, covering May 14 to 21, 2025
Across the eastern Prairies, all eyes are on the breakdown of the western trough and the resulting ejection of the final area of low pressure. The weather models are still trying to get a handle on this feature.
Klassen: Feedlot operators become cautious on purchases
For the week ending May 10, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded steady to $5 higher on average. Quality packages of lighter calves were priced $10-$15 above week ago levels. Many auction barns are only holding sales every two or three weeks at this time of year with limited numbers on offer. This made the market hard to define in certain weight categories.
Barley, Canola, Cereals, Corn, Forages, Hay, Markets, News, Oats, Peas, Pulses, Soybeans, spring-wheat, Winter Wheat
Seeding in Manitoba picking up the pace
Most fields still have good soil moisture
Overall spring planting in Manitoba reached eight per cent complete as of May 6, with some areas of the province much further along, the latest provincial crop report said.
Prairie forecast: Hot east, cool west
Forecast issued May 7, covering May 7 to 14, 2025
We saw a strong ridge of high pressure build in last week, which brought daytime highs into the low thirties across parts of the eastern Prairies. Once the ridge collapsed, cooler air moved back in. Well, it looks like we can expect another cycle of building and collapsing ridges. Then, starting on the weekend, the weather pattern should become more energetic thanks to a strong trough of low pressure forecasted to develop off the West Coast.
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
