Fall rye flowering in south-central Manitoba. (Allan Dawson photo)

Rye in strong position going into 2022

Reading Time: 3 minutes MarketsFarm — Last summer’s drought sharply reduced yields of many crops across the Prairies, leaving multiple supply challenges and rising prices in the aftermath. Western Canadian rye, however, was largely left unscathed, which may bode well for the crop heading into 2022. Rye production came in at 473,000 tonnes for 2021-22, according to Statistics Canada […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Fuel, other factors to affect grain prices

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — As fuel prices continue to rise due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, surcharges for grain shipments are also increasing — leaving many to wonder about feed grain costs moving forward. “I think we will be seeing an effect coming up,” said Brandon Motz, owner and sales manager of CorNine Commodities at Lacombe, Alta. […] Read more


Photo: File

Klassen: Surge in feed grain prices shocks feeder cattle market

Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $3-$5 lower on average. Feeder cattle weighing 650 to 800 lbs. were relatively unchanged to $3 lower. Calves under 650 lbs. were steady to $4-$6 lower in Alberta, unchanged in Saskatchewan and $3-$5 higher in Manitoba. Fleshier yearlings and calves were heavily discounted last week with […] Read more

Photo: iStock/Getty Images.

Feed weekly outlook: Rising oil prices increase freight charges

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Acquiring livestock feed has been increasingly expensive as Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, and a retaliatory ban on Russian oil imports by many Western nations, has caused oil prices to severely rise every day. As corn imports from the U.S. continue to make their way into Alberta feedlots, the cost to transport them […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market shows resilience

Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $2-$3 on either side of unchanged. Calves in the range of 600-800 lbs. traded steady to $4 higher. Calves under 600 lbs. were $1-$2 higher in Alberta and Saskatchewan but traded $2-$3 lower in Manitoba. Alberta feedlot operators appeared to shrug off the geopolitical events last […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Prices steady, but changes coming

Feedlots moving to full corn rations

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — With feed barley and wheat supplies on the verge of running out, prices remain firm, according to Mike Fleischhauer of Eagle Commodities in Lethbridge. “They’re on the positive side of stationary,” he said, noting prices could soon change following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Thursday. “With what’s going on with Ukraine and […] Read more


(Murphy Shewchuk/iStock/Getty Images)

Klassen: Weather factors influence calf prices

Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $4 lower to as much as $5 higher. Mid-weight feeder cattle traded relatively unchanged with strong demand noted on steers. Steer calves were firm, trading $2-$5 higher while heifer calves traded $4-$5 on either side of unchanged. The market was hard to define for calves and […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Big demand lacking for barley, wheat

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Prices for feed barley have swung a little higher over the last week — but it’s not due to feedlots needing a lot of the cereal, according to Brandon Motz of CorNine Commodities at Lacombe, Alta. Barley prices, he said, were $420-$424 per tonne delivered into Lethbridge, with offers as high as $445 […] Read more



A supplied aerial photo of vehicles blocking through traffic on Feb. 1, 2022 at the Canada-U.S. border crossing between Coutts, Alta. and Sweet Grass, Montana. (Photo courtesy Alberta RCMP)

Feed weekly outlook: Alberta blockade affects feed grain deliveries

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — A truck blockade at a Canada-U.S. border crossing at Coutts, Alta. has caused some headaches for grain buyers in southern parts of the province. Since Saturday, commercial trucks and other vehicles have blocked Highway 4, a 103-km stretch which runs from the border to Lethbridge, to protest COVID-19 health measures. On the U.S. […] Read more