MGEX September 2023 hard red spring wheat with 20-day moving average and K.C. September 2023 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

Prairie cash wheat: Canadian bids drop with U.S. futures

Canadian dollar also down on week

MarketsFarm — Spring wheat bids in Western Canada dropped sharply during the week ended Thursday, as a selloff in U.S. futures weighed on values. Average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS, 13.5 per cent protein) wheat prices were down by $23.50-$25.40 per tonne across the Prairies, according to price quotes from a cross-section of delivery points […] Read more



(Orchidpoet/iStock/Getty Images)

Rail interswitching expansion pilot clears Parliament

Grain handlers to press for plan to be made permanent

Last week’s passage of the 2023 federal budget starts a 90-day countdown toward an 18-month test of expanded interswitching on railways in the three Prairie provinces. Bill C-47, the government’s budget implementation bill — which was first read April 20 in the House of Commons and got third reading in the Senate and royal assent […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Fed market supports feeder complex

Strength in loonie tempers market upside

For the week ending Saturday, western Canadian yearlings over 800 lbs. were relatively unchanged. Feeder cattle in the range of 600-700 lbs. were up $4-$8/cwt. The market was hard to define for feeder cattle under 600 lbs. due to limited numbers. Prices for quality calves were unchanged from seven days earlier while straggler types were […] Read more



(Thinkstock photo)

Prairie cash wheat: Spring wheat vaults higher, durum nudges up

U.S. wheat futures, Canadian dollar up on week

MarketsFarm — Spring wheat prices on the Canadian Prairies experienced sharp upticks while gains for durum were much more subdued. A drop in U.S. wheat ratings fueled the upswing in wheat prices, as dry conditions took further hold with approximately 15 per cent of U.S. spring wheat now in drought. While that’s up four points […] Read more


Ducklings on display at the Red River Ex in Winnipeg on June 20, 2023 stuck to the shady side of the waterer as daytime temperatures maxed out at nearly 36 C. (Dave Bedard photo)

Prairie Forecast: Shift in the pattern

Issued June 21, covering June 21 to 28

The weather pattern that brought some record heat to the eastern Prairies, and some significant rains to parts of Alberta, looks like it will be undergoing a bit of change during this forecast period. The overall flow across the Prairies appears as though it will become predominantly northwesterly as an upper low sets up over […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: 800-lb. steers touch $300/cwt mark

Nearby cash market at odds with futures

For the week ending June 17, western Canadian feeder cattle prices were quoted $2-$5/cwt higher on average compared to seven days earlier. However, larger packages of quality yearlings traded $8-$10/cwt above week-ago levels. The market was hard to define because available supplies are dwindling at this time of year. The quality of cattle was extremely […] Read more



(Thinkstock photo)

Prairie cash wheat: Spring wheat bids higher, durum down

Not much rain outside northern, central Alberta

MarketsFarm — Warmer-than-normal temperatures and ongoing dryness in both Western Canada and the U.S. helped raise Prairie wheat bids for the week ended Thursday. Rains fell onto parts of northern and central Alberta on Thursday, but the rest of the Prairies only saw sporadic showers, if any, during the week. Traders on the Chicago Board […] Read more