(Geralyn Wichers photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Falling corn prices not spurring new demand

Feed barley bids in Alberta, Manitoba up from month-ago

MarketsFarm — Falling prices for U.S. corn futures on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) are having little effect on shipments going to Alberta feedlots, according to one grain buyer. The September corn contract fell to its lowest price since January 2021 when it dropped to US$4.79 per bushel on Wednesday, before closing at US$4.8525/bu. […] Read more

CME October 2023 live cattle with 20-day moving average and August 2023 live cattle (dark red line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle up as corn prices slide

Chicago lean hog futures end mixed

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures set a three-week high on Friday, lifted by a surge in feeder cattle futures as corn prices tumbled, traders said. Tightening U.S. cattle supplies and a resilient beef market lent support, along with a strong close for the month and quarter on Wall Street that […] Read more


File photo of a BNSF grain train in Montana. (Photo courtesy BNSF Railway)

Feed weekly outlook: U.S. corn keeps making way into Canadian rations

Ease of sourcing corn by rail an attractive feature

MarketsFarm — The size and quality of the 2023 Canadian grain crop is still very much in the air, but domestic feeders intend to keep at least some corn from the U.S. in their rations going forward no matter what is grown on the Prairies. Canadian buyers have already booked 78,500 tonnes of U.S. corn […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Rains lift interest, prices

Dry conditions in U.S. Corn Belt supportive

MarketsFarm — When Alberta was dry, feed prices drew little interest according to Susanne Leclerc of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton. But that changed after some timely rains, with prices on the rise. “There’s more demand than we have seen in a while,” Leclerc said. “When crops were looking crappy and people were worried about […] 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

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Prices, shipments steady as dryness continues

Drought 'priced into the market already'

MarketsFarm — Demand for feed grains at Alberta feedlots continues unabated as more corn from the United States makes its way into the province. “Demand at feedlots has been status quo. Feedlots are buying imported U.S. corn and DDGS. Along with that, there is also barley and feed wheat. They are getting enough supplies right […] Read more


File photo of a barley seedling. (SusanHSmith/iStock/Getty Images)

Feed weekly outlook: Market in a waiting game

U.S. corn, available wheat keep market supplied

MarketsFarm — The feed grain market in Western Canada is holding relatively steady for the time being as both buyers and sellers wait to get a better handle on new-crop production. “It’s a waiting game at this point between the farmer and the feedlot,” said grain merchant Jay Janzen of CorNine Commodities at Lacombe, Alta. […] Read more



CME July 2023 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs limit-up on bargain buying

Cash and beef values lift cattle futures

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures surged their daily limit on Tuesday, rebounding from Friday’s life-of-contract lows on a round of bargain-buying and short-covering toward the end of the month, and as feed grain futures fell sharply, traders said. “It really got grossly overdone to the bottom side,” said Dennis Smith, commodity […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Canadian feeder market rationing demand

Improvement seen in feeding margins

For the week ending Saturday, western Canadian feeder markets averaged $3-$6/cwt higher compared to seven days earlier. Weakness in the Canadian dollar along with strength in the deferred live cattle futures set a positive tone. Recent rains have enhanced yield potential for the Canadian barley crop, which also underpinned nearby cash values. Alberta packers were […] Read more