(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Stronger barley prices limit upside for feeder cattle complex

Feedlot operators make barley purchases, price feeder cattle accordingly

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $2 higher to as much as $5 lower. A softer tone was noted on yearlings in the eastern Prairie regions. Calf prices were steady to $4 lower on average compared to seven days earlier. Quality yearling packages fresh off grass held value but backgrounded heavier replacements […] Read more


Photo: Thinkstock

Alberta harvest on the verge of completion

MarketsFarm – Combining in Alberta is almost finished with the latest crop report indicating it’s at 96.3 per cent complete. The province’s Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development (AFRED) department noted that as of Oct. 4, the harvesting of all crops advanced nine points from the previous week due to dry weather. Of the 11 […] Read more




Photo: Canada Beef Inc.

Klassen: Demand fears cause feeder cattle market volatility

Barley values continue upward

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $4 higher to as much as $6 lower. Strength was noted in the eastern Prairie regions while the market was softer in Alberta. Western Canadian calves were extremely volatile, trading $5 higher to as much as $10 lower in some cases. It’s not uncommon for markets […] Read more


(Thinkstock photo)

Prairie cash wheat: Weaker loonie underpins bids

U.S. wheat futures down on week

MarketsFarm — Spring wheat bids in Western Canada strengthened during the week ended Thursday, as sharp declines in the Canadian dollar boosted basis levels and more than made up for the bearish influence of softening U.S. futures. Average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS, 13.5 per cent protein) wheat prices were up by $4.10-$5.40 per tonne […] Read more

(Jacek_Sopotnicki/iStock/Getty Images)

Alberta harvest in home stretch as province dries up

MarketsFarm — As harvest progress in Alberta remained well ahead of the five-year average, soil moisture levels in the province continued to dwindle. With a gain of 12 points on the week, Alberta Financial Services Corp. (AFSC) estimated 87.6 per cent of the major crops were harvested. While that’s slightly below this time last year, […] Read more


Photo: Canada Beef

Klassen: Steady demand underpins feeder cattle complex

Compared to last week, Alberta yearling markets traded $2-$4 on either side of unchanged; however, 800-pound-plus cattle in Manitoba and Saskatchewan appeared to trade $4-$6 higher. Yearling prices across the Prairies are now relatively even with no freight discounts from major southern Alberta markets. Calf markets are becoming more defined with larger volumes on offer. […] Read more

(Thinkstock photo)

Prairie cash wheat: External factors raise bids

U.S. wheat futures gain on the week

MarketsFarm — Despite the usual harvest pressures, western Canadian wheat bids jumped during the week ended Thursday, largely due to geopolitical and macroeconomic factors. The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday again raised its key interest rate to combat rising inflation — this time a 75 basis point increase, to 3.25 per cent. The rate hike […] Read more