Feed barley in Lethbridge was selling for C$295 to C$300 per tonne for May and June delivery, up C$5 from two weeks earlier, said Brandon Motz, owner and manager of CorNine Commodities in Lacombe, Alta. He also heard offers of up to C$310/tonne. Meanwhile, feed wheat was selling at C$305 to C$310/tonne.

“There still seems to be some very aggressive bids (for feed barley) from the line companies,” Motz said. “Actual feedlot demand is below average this time of year, but there are a lot of moving factors.”

• For daily market updates, visit the Western Producer Markets Desk

As barley and wheat move through the markets, rising corn prices have weakened demand for the crop.

“Corn is trickling into the market. There is some feeding corn. Corn has always kind of been in the background, but there’s not a lot of volume. Corn prices have rallied up too. So they’ve stayed out of reach,” Motz said.

Rising fuel prices, brought on by the war in Iran, have tightened margins for grain companies and railways, resulting in surcharges and higher freight rates. Motz added that they are affecting growers’ bottom lines as well.

“That’s quite a jump if you didn’t have your spring needs already booked,” he said. “It’s definitely something to be watched and unfortunately not a lot can be done to manage that risk. The bid offer spread has to be adjusted to compensate for fuel prices.”

Where grain prices could go is hard to determine, but Motz believes there will be little movement in the near term.

“It’s safe to assume that prices will remain in this area for the next week at least. There’s nothing to suggest that anything should change,” he said. “But at the same time, this market has been one tweet way from dramatic correction on either side … We need some global shifts to take place before any of the markets come off their highs at this point.”

Prairie Ag Hotwire reported that delivered feed barley prices in Alberta ranged from C$5.01 to C$6.75 per bushel on April 6, steady from the week before. In Saskatchewan, they were also steady, ranging from C$5.12 to C$5.45/bu. In Manitoba, prices were up 25 cents at C$4.77 to C$5/bu.

Feed wheat prices in Alberta were from C$6.18 to C$8.38/bu., down three cents. Manitoba’s feed wheat price was C$6.45, up 13 cents, while Saskatchewan’s was steady at C$7.30/bu.

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“And very mixed in the direction they’re going,” Leclerc added.

She said some in the industry are saying the feedlots are full and feed prices are coming down, while other people indicated prices are largely unchanged.

• For daily market updates, visit the Western Producer Markets Desk

Leclerc said elevator prices are flat as well, but wheat prices have been pointing upward. That should lead to higher prices for feed wheat.

“They’re going to have to eventually buy it at a level where its comparable to where you can sell it elsewhere,” she said.

Feed prices were steady to higher across Western Canada, according to Prairie Ag Hotwire.

For the week ended April 1, feed barley gained seven cents in Alberta at C$5.01 to C$6.75 per bushel delivered and it added four cents in Manitoba at C$4.60 to C$4.75. Prices in Saskatchewan were unchanged at C$5.12 to C$5.45 bu./del.

As for feed wheat, prices were firmer, with the only increase in Manitoba of five cents at C$6.32 bu./del. Alberta was steady at C$5.97 to C$8.41 bu./del. and Saskatchewan held at C$7.30.

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Jim Beusekom, president of Market Place Commodities, said feed barley was trading at C$305 to C$310 per tonne in Lethbridge, with feed wheat at a similar range. U.S. corn was trading at C$295 to C$305. He said feed barley and wheat, which were trading at C$270 per tonne at the start of the month, largely followed the upward price movement for U.S. corn futures.

For daily markets coverage, visit the Western Producer Markets Desk

Beusekom added that consistent demand and a “successful” export program for feed barley will continue to support prices over the next six weeks.

“We would expect spring and summer will be a competitive marketplace to purchase from farmers because they’ve been successful in selling their crops so far and they aren’t carrying as much as originally forecasted,” Beusekom said. “A lot of the market direction on barley is definitely still being set by corn and secondly by the exporters.”

Although the war in Iran and the halting of traffic on the Strait of Hormuz have affected energy prices nationwide, Beusekom said it hasn’t affected grain prices yet, but freight rates could change if fuel costs stay elevated. The question of who will take care of those costs is still up in the air.

“There are a lot of input costs that are creeping higher. How do you know if they are factored into those prices? It’s hard to tell,” he added. “For example, on grain that’s (shipped) for export, does the seller pay for it or does the buyer pay for it? For the grain we’re importing, it’s basically the same thing.”

More markets coverage – Klassen: Stronger barley prices weigh on feeder cattle values

As for upcoming spring conditions, Beusekom said parts of southern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan are “leaning towards drought”, but they are still subject to change.

“It does seem Western Canada is leaning on the dry side but I want to caution everyone, rain and a snowstorm will alleviate every drought concern,” he said.

Prairie Ag Hotwire reported delivered feed barley prices in Alberta at C$4.79 to C$6.68 per bushel on March 23, up 26 cents from the previous week. In Saskatchewan, the price range was C$4.90 to C$5.45/bu., unchanged from the week before. In Manitoba, prices were from C$4.60 to C$4.71/bu., down two cents.

Delivered feed wheat prices in Alberta were from C$5.97 to C$8.41/bu. for a weekly gain of 35 cents. In Saskatchewan, prices were up 30 cents at C$7 to C$7.30/bu. In Manitoba, the price increased by three cents at C$6.27/bu.

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For daily market updates visit the Western Producer Markets Desk

• Corn futures in Chicago climbed to their highest levels in 10 months, with the May contract up by 30 cents per bushel over the past month. Rising energy and fertilizer prices amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East added to expectations that farmers in the United States will shift more intended corn acres into soybeans this spring.
• West Texas Intermediate crude oil climbed to its highest levels in four years, trading at just under US$100 per barrel on March 19.
• Feed barley into the Lethbridge-area feedlots was priced at about C$285 to C$295 per tonne in mid-March, having risen by C$20 to C$30 per tonne over the past month, according to provincial data. Feed wheat priced similar, with corn from the U.S. at US$290 per tonne. • Seasonal price trends contributed to the gains, as feed supplies tighten ahead of cattle going out to pasture and the new crop.
• Solid export demand continued to underpin the domestic feed market, with more grain moving offshore this year. Canadian Grain Commission data shows 2.142 million tonnes of barley exported through 31 weeks of the marketing year, up from 1.204 million tonnes at the same point a year ago.
• Country-specific data through January shows China remains the largest single destination for Canadian barley in 2025-26, accounting for about 57 per cent of the movement to-date. Japan and Saudi Arabia were also major buyers.
• Canadian imports of U.S. corn are also up on the year, according to the latest USDA data. Canada has imported 383,600 tonnes of U.S. corn from Sept. 1 through March 12, which compares with only 101,700 tonnes at the same point the previous marketing year. An additional 201,100 tonnes are on the books to move later — roughly eight times the outstanding sales at the same point in 2024-25.

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Haley said on March 12 that there’s an ongoing lack of farmer selling, plus stiff competition from the grain companies looking to export barley.

“That competition keeps moving a little more south,” he said of the latter. “The grain companies are very aggressive in purchasing barley out in the country for export.”

Added to that, Haley said there’s a minor third reason, a pickup in demand from end users after being on the quiet side for the last four months.

Haley placed feed barley at C$295 per tonne delivered Lethbridge for April-May-June and feed wheat at C$287. He suggested barley could poke above C$300/tonne in the coming weeks.

“If you do see that and the weather is agreeable to production, you better be selling the living daylights out of it,” he stressed.

Weather will be a determining factor, he continued.

“I was at the (Alberta Beef Industry Conference) last week and the CattleFax out of the U.S. is not predicting a nice growing season for Alberta and southwest Saskatchewan,” Haley said, noting “We’ll find out soon enough.”

Prairie Ag Hotwire reported feed barley was steady to higher for the week ended March 11, with Alberta up 15 cents at C$4.79 to C$6.21 per bushel delivered to the elevator. Manitoba saw a gain of nine cents at C$4.60 to C$4.70/bu.del. and Saskatchewan was unchanged at C$4.90 to C$5.45.

Feed wheat in Alberta and Saskatchewan was holding at C$5.97 to C$7.76/bu.del. and C$7, respectively. The Manitoba price rose 10 cents at C$6.14/bu.del.

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“China stepped up and bought a lot of Canadian origin barley, which put the price up C$40 (per tonne) off the low for new crop,” Peterson said.

He reported feed barley bids at C$290/tonne delivered in Lethbridge for old crop and C$270 to C$275 for new crop. Feed wheat was trading at C$280 to C$285/tonne delivered.

Peterson said feedlots in southern Alberta are well-covered for grain.

“You have southern Alberta in relatively good shape right now for coverage. So you have two markets trading,” he added. “We’re poised to trade higher once we see some demand come back to the market in southern Alberta.”

Purchases of corn imported from the United States have quieted down as of late, said Peterson. But if there is continued demand for feed grains in the Canadian export market, he expects more corn to enter the markets due to its price parity with feed barley.

“If barley trends higher, you’re going to see feeders in the spring and summer switch to adding corn in their rations to limit the upside on barley,” Peterson explained.

As spring approaches, so does a potential weather market. Because of this, Peterson believes prices won’t be steady in the coming weeks.

“If we start getting some decent moisture, you’ll probably see some more grain liquidate off the farm,” he said. “Right now, we’re poised to continue to move higher or stay where we’re at. But we’re looking to go lower over the next three months.”

Prairie Ag Hotwire reported on Feb. 27 that delivered feed barley prices in Saskatchewan ranged from C$4.90 to C$5 per bushel, steady from the week before. The range in Alberta was from C$4.79 to C$6.05/bu., up seven cents from the past week. In Manitoba, it was C$4.60 to C$4.61/bu., down one cent.

For feed wheat, the price in Saskatchewan was C$7.00/bu., unchanged from the previous week. That in Manitoba was C$6.04/bu., up 10 cents. Values ranged from C$5.97 to C$7.76/bu. in Alberta, up five cents.

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• Feed barley into the Lethbridge-area feedlots was trading at about C$270 to C$275 per tonne in late February, holding relatively steady with values from the beginning of the month. Feed wheat has also shown little movement, topping out at C$280 per tonne, according to data from the Alberta government.

• Corn imports from the United States were priced at a similar level to barley, with a delivered-Lethbridge price of C$274 per tonne.

• Seasonal price movement in the feed grains typically sees values strengthen through the spring, as supplies tighten and farmers turn their attention to the next year’s crop.

• Solid export demand continued to underpin the domestic feed market, with more grain moving offshore this year. Canadian Grain Commission data showed 1.9 million tonnes of barley were exported through 28 weeks of the marketing year, up from 1.1 million tonnes at the same point a year ago.

• Country-specific data through December shows China remains the largest single destination for Canadian barley in 2025/26, accounting for just over half of the total export movement. • Australia has also increased its barley exports this marketing year, moving 1.2 million tonnes in December alone, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. China was by far the largest destination, taking 700,000 tonnes of Australian feed barley and about 261,000 tonnes of malt barley during the month.

• Canadian imports of U.S. corn are also up on the year, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture data. Canada has imported 335,600 tonnes of U.S. corn from Sept. 1 through Feb. 19, which compares with 94,000 tonnes at the same point the previous marketing year. An additional 233,500 tonnes are on the books to move later — roughly nine times the outstanding sales at the same point in 2024/25.

• Corn futures in Chicago have trended steadily higher since dropping sharply lower on Jan. 12 in response to a record-large production estimate from the USDA. CBOT May corn hit a session high of US$4.4575 per bushel on Feb. 26 — improving by nearly 20 cents per bushel from its January low.

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“The only strong bids out there are the line companies for export,” Beusekom said. “The feed guys are more or less flat.”

“The line companies are bidding farmers aggressively … for export,” he continued, adding that feedlot alley doesn’t need to look very far for enough barley or wheat.

In about a 100-kilometre radius, “they have a lot of local supply around them”, Beusekom noted. “In this crop year, they have not had to get aggressive looking for grain.”

He said the feedlots have bought about 95 per cent of the amount of barley and wheat they purchased this time last year, even with fewer cattle.

“They don’t have to move the market to get that supply.”

Feed prices

Beusekom said feed barley was about C$265 to C$270 per tonne delivered Lethbridge. Wheat and corn were around approximately C$270 to C$275 per tonne delivered Lethbridge, with corn keeping barley from going higher.

Prairie Ag Hotwire cited feed barley in Alberta at C$4.79 to C$5.99 per bushel delivered as of Feb. 18, up 11 cents on the week. Saskatchewan was unchanged at C$4.90 to C$5/bu. delivered, while Manitoba nudged up one cent at C$4.60 to C$4.62.

For feed wheat, PAH listed an 11-cent increase in Alberta at C$6.31 to C$7.70/bu. delivered. Saskatchewan and Manitoba held at C$7 and C$5.86/bu. delivered, respectively.

Beusekom said farmers need to start looking at new crop barley and wheat. That they should meet with their buyers and “put some hedges on.”

Supplies

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada projected all wheat for feed, waste and dockage to bump up to 3.78 million tonnes in 2026/27 from 3.60 million in 2025/26.

AAFC forecast barley for feed, waste and dockage to relatively firm at 5.63 million tonnes for the new crop year, with that for 2025/26 at 5.55 million.

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Susanne Leclerc of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton said there is a wide gap between March prices in Edmonton and Lethbridge due to the amount of corn coming into the southern half of the province. However, the discrepancy is narrowing for April delivery.

“Elevators are paying C$5.70 (per bushel for feed barley) delivered in the Edmonton region, and when you take the feed barley price picked up in the Lethbridge region, it would only be C$5.10, C$5.15 in the March timeframe picked up in the yard,” Leclerc explained.

“It seems like if we look into April, they’re starting to match. So it will be interesting to see if they get closer or not, because there is more corn coming into the Lethbridge area.”

Strong export programs at elevators for feed barley are keeping prices elevated, she added, diminishing the grain’s market advantage over corn. Leclerc also said mild weather and higher prices have resulted in increased grain movement.

More markets coverage: World’s winter wheat crops look good for now

“More people are taking advantage of the markets that are there,” she said.

Other grains are also making their way into feedlots to fulfill their feed ratios.

“We’re seeing some more wheat being picked up by feedlots,” Leclerc said. “We’re seeing more demand for feed pulses like feed peas and fabas. There is still a lot of demand for feed oats.”

Feed grain prices should start to see their perennial spring rallies at around April, she added.

Delivered feed barley prices in Alberta ranged from C$4.90 to C$5.88/bu., down four cents from the previous week, said Prairie Ag Hotwire on Feb. 11. Those in Manitoba were from C$4.60 to C$4.61, down two cents, while a price of C$5.00 was reported in Saskatchewan, unchanged from the week before.

For feed wheat, delivered prices in Alberta ranged from C$6.31 to C$7.59/bu., down three cents from seven days earlier. Manitoba reported a price of C$5.86, while Saskatchewan had a price of C$7.00, with both unchanged.

The post Feed Grain Weekly: Corn affecting barley prices in Lethbridge appeared first on Country Guide.

The rush of demand for European feed barley has provided relief for producers struggling with low prices in a heavily supplied global grain market.

Reversing the usual price structure, feed barley is attracting better prices than milling wheat and similar rates to malting barley, used for beer ingredient malt.

“It’s a strange place for the market,” said Brent Atthill, head of consultancy RMI Analytics, citing a “perfect storm” of strong feed demand in the Middle East and China, limited availability of Black Sea barley and weak brewing demand in Europe.

The European Commission increased its monthly forecast of EU barley exports in 2025/26 by nine per cent last week to 11 million metric tons, which would be the highest since 2015/16.

In France, early-season shipments to China have been followed by steady demand from North Africa and the Middle East. Loadings include a rare cargo for Turkey, LSEG data shows.

Feed barley likely to revert to cheaper grain

Turkey’s switch this season from barley exporter to importer has contributed to market tensions. The country is due to hold an import tender next Wednesday.

An import purchase by Algeria this week could also yield more EU sales, with German and Polish supplies seen in contention, a German trader said. Algeria has not bought French grain since 2024 because of diplomatic tensions.

German barley shipments so far this year include about 30,000 tons for Algeria, 60,000 tons for Saudi Arabia and 8,000 tons for Iraq, another trader said.

“Both Germany and France have made large export shipments of barley so far this year and I expect more to be on the way,” the second trader said.

The export window for western European barley could soon close, however. Supplies in France are tightening while crops from southern hemisphere harvests boost options for importers.

Forward prices for the 2026 harvest suggest feed barley will revert to its role as a cheaper grain, with double-digit discounts compared with malting barley and milling wheat, traders and analysts added.

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