Barley Archives - Canadian Cattlemen

How does your feed measure up? This livestock nutritionist decodes the numbers.

A closer look at your feed test

A ruminant nutritionist provides us with an in-depth look at a real-life feed test for hay

By Piper Whelan 7 hours ago

In a year like this, feed testing is “prudent,” says Courtney O’Keefe, ruminant nutritionist with Blue Rock Animal Nutrition at Innisfail, Alta. “It’s going to help you make those decisions and balance that ration accordingly.” O’Keefe takes us through a recent feed test (see example below) for mixed grass-legume hay, noting that nutritionists tend to […] Read more

In a dry pasture, cattle will also eat a lot of tall larkspur, which contains many toxic alkaloids.

Features, Forages, Livestock

Unconventional: Salvaging crops and feeding weeds during drought

Whether you’re eyeing a flax crop or baling ditches and sloughs, here’s what you need to know about alternative feeds

By Heather Smith Thomas 3 days ago

In drought years it’s often challenging to provide adequate forage for cattle. Sometimes producers use alternative feeds which might include drought-stressed or salvaged crops. Dr. Bart Lardner, professor in the department of animal and poultry science at the University of Saskatchewan, says some of the drought-stressed crops that might be available include annuals such as […] Read more

Finishers, Livestock, Markets

Klassen: Demand for feeder cattle eases

By Jerry Klassen, GFM Network News 4 days ago

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices were down $3-$5; calves traded $2-$6 below week-ago levels. The market has come under pressure for three main reasons. Cattle on feed inventories in Alberta and Saskatchewan are 36 per cent above the five-year average. Many feedlots are comfortable with ownership levels. The drought caused about 150,000 […] Read more

Barley, Corn, Crops, Markets, Spring Wheat

Feed weekly outlook: Shortages leading to price increases

By Glen Hallick - MarketsFarm, GFM Network News October 7, 2021

MarketsFarm — Prices for feed grains are swinging higher because of shortages, according to Mike Fleischhauer of Eagle Commodities Ltd. in Lethbridge. “One thing we are sure of is we are running out of inventory, barley for sure, and we’re 11 months away from new crop,” he said. This year’s severe drought and excessive heat […] Read more

Wheat being loaded onto a cargo ship in Vancouver in 2011. (File photo: Reuters/Ben Nelms)

Crops, Markets

Exports tumble as supplies simply not there

'There's very little to sell'

By Glen Hallick - MarketsFarm, GFM Network News October 6, 2021

MarketsFarm — Cereal and oilseed exports out of Canada nosedived in August just as the 2021-22 marketing began, according to the monthly export report from the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC). At about 2.24 million tonnes, total grain exports were down 38.5 per cent overall compared to those in August 2020. “There’s very little to sell. […] Read more

Finishers, Livestock, Markets

Klassen: Feeder market continues consolidation

U.S. corn northbound into Prairies

By Jerry Klassen, GFM Network News October 5, 2021

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices were relatively unchanged while calf markets were down $2-$3 on average. Feedlot inventories in Alberta and Saskatchewan are 30 per cent above the five-year average; therefore, demand is lacking moving into the main marketing period for calves. Finishing feedlots have sufficient ownership and being fairly finicky on […] Read more

A grain train pulls up alongside a cargo vessel at the Alliance Grain Terminal at Vancouver on Oct. 6, 2011. (File photo: Reuters/Ben Nelms)

Crops, Markets

Canola exports down 72 per cent through eight weeks

By Phil Franz-Warkentin, GFM Network News October 2, 2021

MarketsFarm — Canadian canola and wheat exports continue to run well behind the year-ago pace, with movement of all crops down 34 per cent through the first eight weeks of the 2021-22 crop year. Total exports of all of the major grains, oilseeds and pulses as of Sunday, at 4.714 million tonnes, are down by […] Read more

Crops, Markets, Spring Wheat, Weather

U.S. spring wheat crop down sharply in 2021

By Phil Franz-Warkentin, GFM Network News September 30, 2021

MarketsFarm — Spring wheat production in the United States was down sharply in 2021, according to the latest annual small grains report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Total spring wheat production was pegged at 9.01 million tonnes by the government agency, down 44 per cent from the 15.99 million tonnes grown the previous year. […] Read more

Barley, Corn, Crops, Markets

Feed weekly outlook: Canadian markets firm, waiting on U.S. corn

By Phil Franz-Warkentin, GFM Network News September 30, 2021

MarketsFarm — Canadian feed grain bids remain strong, although end-users are only buying on a hand-to-mouth basis as they await an influx of cheaper corn imports from the U.S. “Everybody is waiting on the corn situation to figure out where we’ll go,” said Suzanne Leclerc, owner of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton. “Buyers are buying […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Markets, News

Continued demand for beef keeps fed cattle prices steady

The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the September 27, 2021 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

By Debbie McMillin September 29, 2021

Fed cattle Aggressive local slaughter, continued beef demand and up-to-date marketing of front-end supply kept fed cattle prices steady to slightly higher through August and September. The first week of September leading into the Labour Day weekend saw an average fed steer price at $156.27/cwt, an increase of $1.88/cwt from the previous week and over […] Read more

U.S. to lift restrictions Nov. 8 for vaccinated foreign travelers

U.S. grains: Corn, soy bounce on technical buying, potential export demand

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures mixed

GFM Network News