(Viterra.ca)

Canada books stronger August deliveries of most major grains

Wheat, canola up; barley, durum down

MarketsFarm — Deliveries of most major grains in Canada were higher in August than a year ago, according to Statistics Canada. The federal agency issued its monthly deliveries report on Tuesday, showing total deliveries last month came to 5.103 million tonnes, up nearly 15 per cent from the previous August. Wheat deliveries (excluding durum) tallied […] Read more

Barley. (Doug Wilson photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Feed weekly outlook: Harvest pressure, looming corn imports weigh on barley bids

Some yields turn out 'better than expected'

MarketsFarm — Seasonal harvest pressure and expectations for large corn deliveries from the United States should limit any upside potential in feed barley bids in Western Canada for the foreseeable future despite this year’s smaller crop. “We’re getting some better-than-expected yields (in central Alberta), so there is some harvest pressure with guys needing to move […] Read more


Livestock nutritionist John McKinnon examines three scenarios at how byproduct feeds can be used in cattle feeding programs.

Using byproduct feeds to influence profitability of backgrounded calves

Nutrition with John McKinnon

In my last column, I wrote about some of the challenges facing producers who background cattle, both from a marketing and production perspective. Concerning marketing, emphasis was placed on differences between custom and owner-operated businesses. From a production perspective, both knowledge of cost of production and identifying goals of the nutrition program were stressed. Concerning […] Read more

Canadian fed cattle supplies tighten, herd liquidation continues

Canadian fed cattle supplies tighten, herd liquidation continues

The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the September 26, 2023 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Fed cattle The fed cattle market leading up to the Labour Day weekend saw some seasonal pressure. Demand softens towards summer’s end and typically longer-fed, heavier cattle are moving through the system. August ended with an average of $231.76/cwt, which is just six per cent behind the 2023 annual high. The last two weeks of […] Read more


(Brett Holmes Photography/iStock/Getty Images)

Few surprises in StatCan report, analyst says

Downward revision on canola among those few

MarketsFarm PRO analyst Mike Jubinville said Statistics Canada’s principal field crop production report, released Thursday, did not contain too many surprises. The agency’s previous report on Aug. 29 already provided insight as to what production numbers were going to be, he said, but still warned the model-based projections in the latest report will not be […] Read more

Photo: File

Feed weekly outlook: More demand for barley in Alberta

U.S. corn imports still expected to cap barley values

MarketsFarm — As Alberta’s harvest continued, yields and crop conditions have varied across the province, according to Erin Harakal, trade manager for Agfinity Inc. at Stony Plain, Alta. “There has been such a wide range across the map, it really depends on location,” she said. “We’ve seen some areas that are just below average of […] Read more


Photo: Canada Beef

Klassen: Feeder market continues to consolidate

U.S. feeder cattle supplies seen tighter than expected

Compared to last week, western Canadian grass yearling prices were relatively unchanged. Yearlings over 800 lbs. on light grain rations or on diets mixed with silage were priced at $5 to as much as $20 discount to those cattle coming straight off pasture. Larger groups of uniform quality continue to trade at a minor premium […] Read more

File photo of a federal office building in downtown Winnipeg. (Dave Bedard photo)

Canada’s canola carryout up on year, wheat down slightly

Barley, oats, peas also up on year

MarketsFarm — Canadian canola ending stocks edged higher in 2022-23, while wheat carryout was slightly lower, according to the latest stocks data from Statistics Canada, released Friday. Barley, oats and peas also saw increases on the year, while lentil supplies tightened. Total wheat stocks as of July 31, at 3.58 million tonnes were down by […] Read more


File photo of harvesting near Wymark, Sask., south of Swift Current, on Sept. 8, 2020. (Nancy Anderson/iStock/Getty Images)

Feed weekly outlook: Harvest pressure keeps lid on prices

Domestic prices seen weighing on corn imports

MarketsFarm — As the harvest continued across the Canadian Prairies, pressure kept feed grain prices largely in check, according to Crystal Leitch of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton. “We don’t see things changing too much because pricing is not what it was. There’s some hope that pricing is going to come back up, whether it […] Read more

Production uncertainty drives feed grain markets

Production uncertainty drives feed grain markets

Market Talk with Jerry Klassen

Barley and corn prices have been extremely volatile over the past month. Large regions of Western Canada are experiencing drought-like conditions. At the same time, crop ratings for the U.S. corn crop reflect yield uncertainty in the Midwest. I’ve received many inquiries from feedlot operators and cow-calf producers regarding the price outlook for corn and […] Read more