Glacier FarmMedia—As growers prepare to seed in parts of Alberta, the lack of moisture during the winter continues to be a concern. However, a major snowstorm which brought various amounts of precipitation to the central part of the province has relieved some stress.
“We’re definitely going to need some timely rains. I think drought is always on everyone’s mind as we get into seeding because we haven’t had any rain or a lot of moisture quite yet,” said Erin Harakal, trade manager at Agfinity Inc. in Stony Plain, Alta. “I know there have been many years where things changed in the last minute. Hopefully we get the moisture we need.”
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Harakal added that most feedlots are covered until April and are looking forward to deliveries over the next three months. A recent decline in corn prices also meant price declines for feed barley, with Harakal reporting a range from C$275 to C$285 per tonne (C$5.99 to C$6.21 per bushel) for May/June delivery.
“Corn is definitely a big topic of conversation since the price has dropped. (For) other commodities, it’s been pretty flat for the last couple of weeks,” she said.
There doesn’t seem to be any significant price changes in the horizon after seeding begins, according to Harakal.
“Unless barley exports pick up, that’s the one factor that might cause prices to go up. But right now, things might be flat, if not, trending down with the corn pressure,” she explained.
Bids for Alberta feed barley ranged from C$4.63 to $6.53/bu. on April 10, according to Prairie Ag Hotwire, which represented a 33 cent decline from one month earlier. Bids in Saskatchewan were from C$4.80 to C$5.25, down 25 cents. In Manitoba, the range was steady at C$4.77 to C$5.00. Prices for all three provinces were more than C$2/bu. less than those from last year.
For feed wheat, Alberta bids were from C$6.72 to C$8.44/bu., up 14 cents from last month. In Saskatchewan, prices held steady from the month before at C$6.85 to C$8.13. In Manitoba, a bid of C$7.28 was reported, up four cents from one month earlier. Prices one year ago were C$2.84 to C$3.27/bu. higher than today.
—Adam Peleshaty reports for MarketsFarm from Stonewall, Man.
