‘Status quo’ for Prairie feed market

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Published: May 30, 2024

,

Photo: Kelsey Pangborn/iStock/Getty Images

Glacier FarmMedia—Feed grain bids in Western Canada lack any clear direction for the time being, as farmers finish up spring seeding around consistent rains.

“There’s been very minimal (price) movement in the last month, give or take five dollars a tonne,” said grain trader Jay Janzen of Cornine Commodities in Lacombe, Alta., adding “it’s status quo at this point.”

While showers have caused some seeding delays, he estimated that farmers in most regions were into the planting the last 20 per cent of the 2024 crop. The rains will allow fields to get off to a good start, although Janzen added that more moisture will be needed through the growing season.

Read Also

Animal health worker Eduardo Lugo treats the wounds of a cow as Chihuahua ranchers intensify surveillance for the screwworm after the U.S. suspended cattle imports following the detection of the parasite in southern Mexico, at the Chihuahua Regional Livestock Union, in Nuevo Palomas, Mexico May 16, 2025. Photo: Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

U.S. again halts cattle imports from Mexico over flesh-eating screwworms

The flesh-eating livestock pest New World screwworm has advanced closer to the U.S. border with Mexico, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said, prompting Washington to block imports of Mexican cattle just days after it allowed them to resume at a port of entry in Arizona.

As far as the spot market is concerned, “there’s still a decent of old crop grain in the bin, especially barley,” although little business was taking place. While any weather issues that materialize could provide support for new crop bids, “feedlots are very content to sit on their hands at this point,” according to Janzen.

Feed barley into Lethbridge’s feedlot alley was trading at around C$295 to C$298 per tonne in the latest weekly market review from the Alberta government, released May 24. That was unchanged on the top end from the previous week.

About The Author

Phil Franz-Warkentin

Phil Franz-Warkentin

Editor - Daily News

Phil Franz-Warkentin grew up on an acreage in southern Manitoba and has reported on agriculture for over 20 years. Based in Winnipeg, his writing has appeared in publications across Canada and internationally. Phil is a trusted voice on the Prairie radio waves providing daily futures market updates. In his spare time, Phil enjoys playing music and making art.

explore

Stories from our other publications