(Bruce Fritz photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Optimism for Canada to plant 100K acres to sunflowers

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Wet weather may have cost western Canadian producers 20,000 acres of sunflowers last year, according to one industry watcher who’s hopeful 2015 will be a little kinder. “We were anticipating over 100,000 acres last year and as it turned out we came into that 80,000 range,” said Ben Friesen, purchasing manager for […] Read more

(Doug Wilson photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Oats prices drop to two-and-a-half-year lows

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– Oats prices at the Chicago Board of Trade dropped to their weakest levels in two-and-a-half years over the past week, and cash bids in Western Canada have followed suit. While the largely speculative price drop could bring in more bargain-hunting demand, both end-users and farmers have moved to the sidelines for the […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Strong demand at feature calf sales

Reading Time: 2 minutes Last week saw many auction barns holding their largest volumes of the year and there was no shortage of buying interest at these feature sales. Major feedlot operators were aggressively shopping because quality and risk sentiment appear to be more favourable this time of year. Calves have withstood adverse winter conditions for a couple of […] Read more



(Country Guide file photo)

Prairie spring wheat bids rise with U.S. futures

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– Average cash bids for Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat moved higher during the week ended Friday, as strengthening U.S. futures provided support. In Manitoba, the average CWRS price rose to $234 per tonne, from $223 the previous week. Similar gains were noted across the rest of the Prairies, with average prices […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Healthy feeding margins support feeder cattle market

Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle price volatility continues while average prices remain near historical highs. Fancier minimal-flesh quality calf prices experienced spurts of $5 to $8 above average levels as exotic steers averaging 780 pounds reached up to $246 in central Alberta. Similarly, a small group of quality 750-lb. steers touched $252 at a feature sale […] Read more


“If you’re disciplined and keep your emotions in check, over time you will come out ahead.” – Errol Anderson

Make the most from the 2014 market

Grain markets aren’t going to bounce back any time soon, says Calgary-based market adviser Errol Anderson. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t wins to be made

Reading Time: 8 minutes Grain and oilseed prices are reeling from massive global crops, and the growing consensus is that we may not see a bull run in the market at any time in the new crop year. In fact, the USDA’s latest long-range forecasts have got some analysts predicting we may not see another bull for 10 years. […] Read more