
Tag Archives feed markets

Feed barley outlook
Market Talk with Jerry Klassen
I’ve received many inquiries from feedlot and backgrounding operators regarding the price outlook for feed barley. The Western Canadian feed grains complex made seasonal lows during September of 2019. Lethbridge area feedlots were buying feed barley at just under $200/mt delivered. However, the market started to ratchet higher during October. Adverse weather and the delayed […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Barley’s slide slows as harvest drags
MarketsFarm — The slide in western Canadian feed grain prices over the past few months shows signs of slowing, as concerns over harvest delays supplant earlier concerns over large crops and quality downgrades. “The weather over the next week or so doesn’t look that great,” Allen Pirness of Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge said Thursday. […] Read more

Feed barley defies expectations as prices rally
CNS Canada – Feed barley prices have no business being where they are, based on supply-demand fundamentals, but that hasn’t quelled the rally. With prices for old crop sitting a premium over new crop, most in the industry expected old crop would gradually decline over summer and the two would eventually converge. But dry weather […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Prairie market focused on weather
CNS Canada — Western Canadian feed grain buyers aren’t concerned if they’ll have crops to buy at the end of the summer, but they are concerned what the quality of those crops will be. “At this point it’s a weather market. So we kind of wait and see as it unfolds and respond accordingly,” said […] Read more

Tighter corn and barley stocks for 2018-19
Market Talk with Jerry Klassen
It’s that time of year when I receive many inquiries in regard to the feed grain outlook for the 2018-19 crop year. In the previous article, I discussed South American crop conditions and North American projections for the upcoming crop year. Feedlot operators have been factoring higher costs per pound gain which has resulted in […] Read more

Mixed outlook for feed grains
Market Talk with Jerry Klassen
I’ve received many inquiries into the outlook for corn and barley prices over the winter period. Feeder cattle prices have strengthened so that it’s difficult to pencil a profit and feedlot operators are wondering how the cost per pound gain will vary for the next round of feeding. At the time of writing this article, […] Read more

Plentiful feed supplies weigh on feed barley prices
CNS Canada — A steady stream of fusarium-damaged wheat is flooding Alberta feedlots these days, giving ranchers a variety of choices on what they can give to their animals — but also keeping feed barley prices in check. “That has definitely been heavy on the barley,” said Allan Pirness of Marketplace Commodities in Lethbridge. That […] Read more

Klassen: Feeder market stable but demand remains soft
Comments from the country this week suggested the market was slightly firmer than week-ago levels. However, market reports stated prices were relatively unchanged and actually softened late in the week. The old saying that even a priest lies about his car’s gas mileage applies to overly optimistic cattlemen trying to bolster market enthusiasm. Feedlot margins […] Read more

Klassen: Feeder cattle market comes back to life
Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were $4-$6 higher on average — in some cases as much as $10 higher in the major feeding regions of Alberta. A couple of auction barns held their first yearling sale of the year and optimism returned with a vengeance. A minor bounce in feeder and live cattle futures along […] Read more

Klassen: Feedlot operators throw in towel on feeder market
Weaker wholesale beef values, along with softer fed cattle prices, set a negative tone for the feeder cattle market this past week. Western Canadian feeder markets were trading $4-$8 below week-ago levels, with calves trading as much as $10 lower in some cases. Producers can become nauseous watching these live cattle futures, but this is […] Read more
Holding back calves this year? We’re here to help. Feeding & backgrounding info relevant to your operation, all in one place. Get tips from the experts to get you through the season in Canadian Cattlemen: The Best of Feeding & Backgrounding.