(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Cattle producers press for lower price insurance premiums

WLPIP is needed, but unused because premiums too expensive, CCA says

The Western Livestock Price Insurance Program is not functioning properly due to very high premiums and needs to be quickly revamped, says the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. “We’re having unprecedented volatility for markets. Having tools in place for farmers and ranchers has never been more important,” executive vice-president Dennis Laycraft said during a telephone town hall […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

As meat demand rises, processors raise pay for farmers, workers

Chicago | Reuters –– North American meat processors said on Monday they would pay extra money to farmers and slaughterhouse workers as the companies scramble to meet surging demand from consumers unnerved by the spread of the new coronavirus. Companies such as Tyson Foods and Cargill want to ensure their slaughterhouses remain supplied with cattle […] Read more


File photo of wheat under snow. (Ssvyat/iStock/Getty Images)

Feed weekly outlook: Prairie grain market finding a bottom

MarketsFarm — The western Canadian feed grain market is showing signs of finding a bottom, as buyers wait to get a better handle on the quality of grain still unharvested across the Prairies. Feed barley is currently trading at around $200 per tonne in southern Alberta, while feed wheat bids are around $210, according to […] Read more

ICE January 2020 canola with 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Uncertainty, lack of farmer selling lift canola bids

MarketsFarm — Over the last week or so canola prices have been largely supported by two factors, according to Errol Anderson of Pro Market Communications in Calgary. “To some degree it’s still crop uncertainty and growers aren’t selling.” Cash bids have varied widely, he said, while spot premiums have shot up a bit. “That indicates […] Read more


A soybean plantation in Brazil. (MailsonPignata/iStock/Getty Images)

Brazil may raise farm subsidies despite belt-tightening

Brasilia | Reuters — Brazil could double spending on subsidized farm insurance in 2020 and may expand subsidized loans, the country’s agriculture policy secretary said on Thursday, even though the new government’s economic team has pledged to cut spending. The negotiations on next year’s farm subsidies highlight the powerful agribusiness lobby’s struggle to preserve benefits […] Read more