MarketsFarm — Prices for feed barley and wheat have shot up over the last month, including a 76 cent per bushel jump for barley in Alberta, according to Prairie Ag Hotwire.
In Saskatchewan, barley prices climbed 41 cents per bushel, while in Manitoba the rise has been much more subdued at nine cents.
At present barley is running $3.70-$5.33/bu. in Alberta, and $4-$4.25/bu. in Saskatchewan. Manitoba prices were a bit lower, at $3.40-$3.67/bu.
“China has a very high export demand for pretty much every grain we have,” said Glen Loyns, general manager of JGL Commodities at Moose Jaw.
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As the harvest in southern Alberta presses on, a broker said that is one of the factors pulling feed prices lower in the region. Darcy Haley, vice-president of Ag Value Brokers in Lethbridge, added that lower cattle numbers in feedlots, plentiful amounts of grass for cattle to graze and a lacklustre export market also weighed on feed prices.
He chalked up that strong export demand to China looking to rebuild grain reserves, noting there has also been competition from good domestic demand for feed grains.
Coupled with the rise in barley prices, feed wheat over the last month has shown increases of 34 cents/bu. in Alberta, 25 cents in Saskatchewan and 15 cents in Manitoba.
Prairie Ag Hotwire reported current feed wheat prices at $5.30-$6.60/bu. delivered in Alberta. Next door in Saskatchewan, prices were $5.30-$5.75 and in Manitoba, $5.35-$5.50.
— Glen Hallick reports for MarketsFarm from Winnipeg.
