Glacier Farm Media | MarketsFarm – As January began, feed grain prices on the Canadian Prairies remained lower and are likely to stay that way until spring, commented broker Evan Peterson of JGL Commodities in Saskatoon.
Peterson said feed barley prices recently lost C$5 to C$8 dollars per tonne delivered to Lethbridge.
“It’s not a huge drop. We’re just having trouble finding homes right for January movement,” he continued, adding that it’s very unlikely there will be a significant upswing in prices anytime this month.
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“I think we’re looking at the last half of February, (into) March to see a demand increase,” Peterson said. “We’re going to have to burn through the December hangover into January.”
He noted that many producers are busy moving cattle, which means their demand for feed is lower. He said there should be “a bit of a pop in the feed market when the snow starts to melt.
Added to that has been a decline in the amount of corn being imported from the United States.
“Our weakening Canadian dollar has really increased the price of corn,” Peterson stated, noting it’s risen approximately C$15 per tonne above the price of barley.
That’s a significant turnaround as feed barley and U.S. corn were nearly on par with each other at one point in 2024, other feed brokers said at the time. There’s been a sharp rise in the U.S. dollar since President-elect Donald Trump said he will slap 25 per cent tariffs on all good the U.S. imports from Canada and Mexico.
Prairie Ag Hotwire reported that as of Jan. 8 the price for feed barley in Saskatchewan and Alberta was unchanged. It was going for C$4.75 to C$5.50 per bushel in Saskatchewan and C$4.75 to C$6.64 in Alberta. The Manitoba price tacked on three cents at C$4.50 to C$4.93/bu.
As for feed wheat, the Hotwire cited a 38-cent jump on the week in Saskatchewan, which put prices at C$7 to C$7.75/bu. In Manitoba, the price nudged up seven cents at C$6.98/bu. and held firm in Alberta at C$6.40 to C$8.44.
