Photo: James_Gabbert/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Prairie forecast: Dry and mild west, seasonal east

Issued Feb. 14, covering Feb 14 to 21, 2024

If you haven’t noticed, it has been an unusual winter, and that unusualness is causing all sorts of headaches with weather forecasting. In particular, cloud cover. In the last forecast period, it looked as if high pressure would dominate the weather bringing plenty of clear skies along with more seasonable temperatures.


Photo: Canada Beef Inc.

Klassen: Feeder market continues to climb

Canadian values appear to be one week behind the U.S. market

For the week ending February 10, Western Canadian the market for yearlings over 800 pounds was $3/cwt to $6/cwt compared to a week earlier. Feeder cattle suited for grass and calves were up $8/cwt to as much as $25/cwt in some cases compared to the week prior. Quality steers averaging 600 pounds were readily trading in the range of $410-$425 up from the range of $380-$395 last week.



File photo of winter wheat plants in snow. (Volodymyr Shtun/iStock/Getty Images)

Prairie forecast: Stormy start in the east, slightly cooler west

Issued Feb. 7, covering Feb. 7 to 14, 2024

You can’t say it has been a strange and interesting winter. First, we saw a wintery end to October, then fall moved back in for most of November and December before we finally saw a big old shot winter in mid-January. Now we have been dealing with spring like conditions over the last two weeks – what’s next? Well, it looks like winter is going to try and make a comeback.




Klassen: Positive fed outlook buoys feeder market

Klassen: Positive fed outlook buoys feeder market

Market telling producers to own lighter cattle sooner rather than later

Western Canadian feeder cattle prices for 800-pound plus cattle were $2/cwt to $4/cwt higher on average for the week ending January 27. Feeders in the 500-800-pound category were up $3/cwt to $6/cwt with higher quality groups up as much as $10/cwt in some cases. Feeders 500 pounds and lower were unchanged from seven days earlier.


In early December, the Saskatchewan River was at its second lowest level in the past 23 years.   Photo: Alex McCuaig

Alberta expands livestock drought recovery supports

Only a narrow band of the province remains exempt from the aid program

The 2023 Canada-Alberta Drought Livestock Assistance initiative, funded through the AgriRecovery framework by the federal and provincial governments, offers payments of up to $150 per head to livestock producers who have 15 or more animals per type of livestock, and have altered usual grazing practices for more than 21 days due to drought.

Photo: Thinkstock

Canadian potato output rises in 2023 

Alberta vaults to first place in provincial potato production

At 32.063 million hundredweight of potatoes this year, Alberta vaulted from third to first place as it improved on the previous year’s crop of 26.813 million. Manitoba moved into second spot from third with its harvest of 29.760 million cwt. following last year’s 26.139 million. Prince Edward Island saw its output reduced in 2023 to 25.813 million cwt. from 27.789 million. In 2023, the trio combined for 68 per cent of Canada’s total potato harvest of 128,801 million cwt.