File photo of cattle on pasture. Several drought-stricken rural municipalities in Manitoba have declared an agriculture disaster, in an effort to kickstart action by senior levels of government. (MikeEntertainment/iStock.Getty Images)

RMs declare ag disaster in Manitoba’s Interlake

Twelve rural municipalities in Manitoba’s Interlake and WestLake regions have declared a state of agricultural disaster due to severe dry conditions. The RMs of Alonsa, Armstrong, Bifrost-Riverton, Coldwell, Ethelbert, Fisher, Grahamdale, Lakeshore, McCreary, Ste. Rose, West Interlake and Woodlands announced the motion in a news release Thursday. The municipalities are calling on the province to […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

StatsCan confirms smaller canola crop

MarketsFarm — Statistics Canada’s first production estimates for the 2019-20 crop, released Wednesday, were generally in line with expectations, although upward revisions are likely in subsequent reports. The agency’s production of principal field crops report was “bang on with expectations across the board,” according to Ken Ball of PI Financial in Winnipeg. While both the […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder cattle market recovers

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $4-$6 higher on average; some packages in Alberta sold $8 to as much as $10 above week-ago levels. Larger feedlot operations were very aggressive on 750- to 900-pounders. The quality of yearlings is excellent at this time of year. Comments from the front row suggest most […] Read more



Barley south of Ethelton, Sask. on July 30, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Old-, new-crop barley prices converge

MarketsFarm — Feed grains prices have been softening as old-crop and new-crop prices converge during harvest. Tracy Green, a grain broker with Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton, said Feedlot Alley is “well-covered” and waiting for harvest. However, buyers in central Alberta are seeing prices around $237 delivered for old-crop barley. For deliveries into Lethbridge for […] Read more



Regions eligible for livestock tax deferrals released

Regions eligible for livestock tax deferrals released

Policy: News Roundup from the August 2019 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Drought in Western Canada and Quebec prompted the federal government to release an initial list of regions eligible for livestock tax deferrals in late July. The livestock tax deferral provision allows livestock producers in prescribed drought, flood or excess moisture regions to defer a portion of their 2019 sale proceeds of breeding livestock until 2020 […] Read more

A barley crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on July 30, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Varying yields make for average crop

MarketsFarm — Feed grain crop yields are expected to be about average across the Prairies as harvest has kicked off. “It appears we’ll have somewhat of an average crop, with a bunch of high-yield areas and a bunch of low yield areas averaged together,” said Jim Beusekom, president of Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge. New-crop […] Read more



“All of our customers in feedlot alley are all thinking the same thing – that ‘prices will go down.’”  Photo: Thinkstock

Feed weekly outlook: Feed grain bids fall with rain

MarketsFarm – Improving crop conditions have weighed on Western Canadian feed barley prices over the past month as attention turns from the tight old crop supply situation to the upcoming harvest. “Prices are dropping every day it rains,” said Mike Fleischhauer of Eagle Commodities in Lethbridge, Alta. He said barley prices have come off by […] Read more