Markets
This cattle market information is selected from the weekly report from Canfax, a division of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. More market information, analysis and statistics are available by becoming a Canfax subscriber by calling 403-275-5110 or at www.canfax.ca. New highs for fed cattle New second-half highs were established during the week of Dec. 21 for […] Read more
Markets
Canfax report
WP livestock report
Hogs The U.S. national live price average for barrows and gilts was US$35.67 per hundredweight Dec. 27, up from $35.47 Dec. 21. U.S. hogs averaged $44.82 on a carcass basis Dec. 27, up from $44.07 Dec. 21. The U.S. pork cutout was $70.44 per cwt. Dec. 27, down from $71.32 Dec. 21. The estimated U.S. […] Read more
Markets start 2019 higher
Soy prices spent most of the first trading day for 2019 much stronger, until it seemed the market realized that there were no USDA reports to back anything up, and then it seemed to struggle to put a pin in the day. The American shutdown of government has shuttered most of the USDA services that […] Read more
Strong soy boost canola contracts
The ICE Futures canola contacts rallied throughout the day Wednesday to close stronger, following the lead of the soy complex. Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) soybean, oil and meal contracts finished the day stronger. The soybean market has been rallying as of late on expectations of Chinese soybean purchases, only to lose ground near market […] Read more
Trade wars cost U.S., China billions of dollars each in 2018
CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) — The U.S.-China trade war resulted in billions of dollars of losses for both sides in 2018, hitting industries including autos, technology and above all, agriculture. Broad pain from trade tariffs outlined by several economists shows that, while specialized industries including U.S. soybean crushing benefited from the dispute, it had an overall […] Read more
Agriculture has the potential to change the world
Welcome to our annual special edition, which we at the Western Producer affectionately call Issue 52. Each year, for the last edition, we select a topic and take a deep dive with our entire newsroom. We parse the topics and go long, finding out what’s new and improving in the industry. We started this back […] Read more
Automated farming: it may be here quicker than you think
CALGARY — Autonomous farming isn’t just a cool idea, it’s a big, iron reality coming to Western Canada this coming year. And once it’s here, autonomous farming could begin sweeping away today’s machines the way cars and tractors swept away horses in North America’s cities and on its farmland. “We are the tip of the […] Read more
Grasping at straws
It’s all in the eye of the beholder. Where some see waste moving out the back end of combines, Catherine Hui Niu sees great opportunity. “Can we explore new use of those materials? Can we make better use, discover new technology to reuse those materials, recycle them, or add value to them?” asked Niu, associate […] Read more
The wild west of agricultural data
Canadian agriculture is in the midst of a sea change that stems from the digitization of farm production data. The sector was a little tardy in showing up for the digital revolution, but most growers now use techniques powered by complex algorithms and massive datasets. Telematics, cloud storage and processing, internet of things (IOT), sensors, […] Read more
Small satellite networks: more than a pretty picture
Faster, smarter, sharper with more options describes the latest satellite technology information and services being delivered to growers. Hundreds of the toaster-sized units orbit the Earth taking thousands of snapshots of all corners of the globe every day. The rapid evolution in satellite technology has made high-resolution aerial field photos readily available to all farmers. […] Read more
