(Geralyn Wichers photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Influx of cheaper U.S. corn pushing down prices

Weaker Chicago corn prices led to a 50-cent/bu. drop in Alberta feed barley, wheat

MarketsFarm – Feed grain prices took a tumble this week in Alberta, said Susanne Leclerc of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton. “It’s kind of shocking. I know we had some harvest start in the southern part [of the province]. It seems to have really affected prices. Of course, corn got cheap with the futures dropping […] Read more

Hot weather is posing a threat to corn crops in the U.S.  Photo: Thinkstock

Prairie forecast: Warm-hot start then slow cooldown

Issued August 2, covering August 2 to 9

The weather models have been doing a good job with the overall weather picture over the last several weeks, despite a fairly unsettled, tough-to-figure-out weather pattern. In this next forecast period, it will again be tough to figure out some of the finer details as our region experiences weak highs, lows, and even the possibility […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: U.S. feeder markets lead Canadian prices higher

Dry conditions in Saskatchewan and parts of Alberta are moving yearlings off grass sooner than expected

Compared to last week, Western Canadian yearling markets once again jumped $3-$5/cwt on average. Higher quality 900-pound steers are reaching up to the range of $310-$315/cwt. Comments from readers suggest that 850-900-pound steers are trading up to $315-$320/cwt. Calves in the 500-550-pound range are reaching just over the $400/cwt level. Dryer conditions in Saskatchewan and […] Read more

 Photo: Thinkstock

UPDATE prairie forecast: unsettled start as sub-arctic high builds in

Issued July 26, covers July 26 to August 2

Update: A low tracking through central prairies is a little weaker than expected. This will result in less precipitation with showers, thundershowers, and storms being less widespread. Another issue is the smoke which can be difficult to predict. In areas with smoke, we see cooler than expected daytime highs. An upper ridge that brought plenty […] Read more


Photo: MaksymTopchyi/iStock/Getty Images

Feed weekly outlook: wheat, barley prices still on the rise 

Demand for feed grains on the quiet side as feedlots order more United States corn says analyst

Marketsfarm – Variable crop conditions in Alberta and Saskatchewan are contributing to rising feed grain prices on the Prairies just weeks away from harvest.  Erin Harakal, trade manager for Agfinity Inc. in Stony Plain, Alta., said while conditions in the northern half of Alberta are good in some places, areas around Red Deer and parts […] Read more

 Photo: Thinkstock

Updated prairie forecast: unsettled start as sub-arctic high builds in

Issued July 26, covers July 26 to August 2

Update: A low tracking through central prairies is a little weaker than expected. This will result in less precipitation with showers, thundershowers, and storms being less widespread. Another issue is the smoke which can be difficult to predict. Areas with smoke we see cooler than expected daytime highs. An upper ridge that brought plenty of […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: tight supplies continue to underpin feeder complex 

Feedlot operators shrug off past week's rally in the corn market

Compared to last week, Western Canadian yearling markets traded $2-$5/cwt higher on average while calves were up $5/cwt to as much as $10/cwt in some cases. Feather light calves under 500 pounds reached fresh historical highs with 300-400 pound steers trading from $400-$450/cwt in Southern Alberta.  Finishing feedlots continue to be aggressive on yearlings for […] Read more

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

Feed weekly outlook: Dry weather cuts into barley prospects

Canadian buyers already booking new-crop U.S. corn

MarketsFarm — Dry weather across the Canadian Prairies may be cutting into barley production prospects, keeping domestic feed prices underpinned for the time being despite the likelihood of large corn imports from the United States. Alberta’s barley crop was only rated 43 per cent good to excellent in the latest weekly report, well off the […] Read more


A rainy day on July 18, 2023 at the Ag in Motion outdoor farm show at Langham, Sask., west of Saskatoon. (Ag in Motion via Twitter)

Prairie Forecast: Summer heat to build back in

Issued July 19, covering July 19 to 26

It looks like the overall weather pattern is going to undergo another shift. After nearly two weeks of unseasonably cool and unsettled weather over the eastern half of the Prairies, with near-average conditions over the west, it looks like more typically summer weather will move back in. The massive area of low pressure that spun […] Read more

Under rainy skies on July 18, 2023 at Ag in Motion, Justine Cornelsen of Brett Young Seeds discusses soybeans’ evolving Canadian acreage base. (Glacier FarmMedia video screengrab)

At Ag in Motion: Soybean proponents still eye western expansion

Crop seen as a good add to rotations -- if conditions are right

While canola is king of the Canadian oilseed market, the same can be said of soybeans in the United States. However, the big pulse crop south of the border has made inroads in the western provinces. Manitoba has seen the biggest growth in soybean acres with well over a million planted annually in recent years, […] Read more