Reading Time: 6 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Craig and Lenore Brown have been building up their cattle herd for more than 20 years in the northern Interlake, and some of those genetics date back even further, back to the previous generation of their family farm. Earlier this month, they watched a good chunk of those genetics leave. Why it […] Read more
Calculating the genetic cost of drought
Herd genetics take years to build, but producers are watching much of that work head to slaughter this year
Beware of high nitrate levels in drought-stressed forages
Feed tests the ideal starting point when managing forages with nitrate accumulation
Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Feed testing is your first priority when it comes to dealing with high nitrate levels in drought-stressed forages. Bart Lardner, professor of animal and poultry science at the University of Saskatchewan, says that nitrate accumulation can be more of an issue with annual forages during a dry, hot summer, and it’s important […] Read more
Plans afoot to move hay from East to drought-hit West
CFA, BFO spearheading Hay West-style initiatives
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farm groups are spearheading new plans to get livestock feed from Eastern Canada to drought-damaged regions of the western provinces and northwestern Ontario. Details are still pending, but the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) announced Aug. 12 it has started work on a “Hay West” initiative to get surplus hay “to those struggling in the […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: New crop expected to stabilize feed prices
Drought will drag Prairies' yields much lower
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — New crop is starting to make its way into feed grain bins as the annual harvest gets underway in Alberta. However, due to the drought conditions which have enveloped Western Canada, yields will be much lower than normal. “(The yields are) generally lower than expected and (there’s been) some disappointment,” said Allen Pirness, […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Canola remains expensive
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Concerns over the likelihood of a much smaller canola crop than previously anticipated, coupled with a very tight supply situation, continued to underpin values this week. That price rationing in turn has kept canola more expensive than other edible oils, according to trader Keith Ferley of RBC Dominion Securities in Winnipeg. “The market […] Read more
Feds lock in AgriRecovery funds before election call
Ottawa's pledged share now up to $500 million
Reading Time: 2 minutes Just hours ahead of a federal election call, the federal government has committed $500 million to cover its share of federal/provincial AgriRecovery support plans for drought-hit farmers across Canada’s West. Shortly before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit Sunday to Rideau Hall seeking the dissolution of Parliament for a federal election, Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau confirmed […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Something of a tough week for canola
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm – It was a bit of a tough week for canola on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), although there was something of a bright spot after the release of the August supply and demand estimates from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). As one trader put it, canola did its job by increasing in […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Major canola supply issues ahead
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm – There’s a looming problem that’s on the verge of surfacing in the Canadian canola market – many growers will be unable to fulfill their contracts due to lower production. The drought across the Prairies dashed canola production estimates from the initially anticipated 20 million tonnes, to something that could be in the range […] Read more
Millers, bakers fret as drought withers North America’s spring wheat
Reading Time: 3 minutes Reuters – Millers and bakers are draining wheat reserves and paying more for spring wheat used in baking, as drought shrivels crops across the Canadian Prairies and northern U.S. Plains that produce more than half of the world’s supply. U.S. and Canadian farmers are bracing for a sharply smaller spring wheat harvest due to the […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Volatility expected in canola markets
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm – The ICE Futures canola market saw some large price moves during the week ended Aug. 4, hitting their lowest levels in a month as investors booked profits before recovering to hold relatively range-bound overall. More choppiness is expected over the next few weeks, as the market waits to get a better handle on […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
