Markets
This year’s drought in parts of Western Canada hurt honey production, but beekeepers in more northerly regions had a good to excellent honey crop. For example, producers in southern Alberta had a poor year but yields were better north of Calgary. “Everybody is pretty happy with their crop … for the majority,” said Mike DeJong, […] Read more
Markets
Special deal: three topics in one column
I’ll address several issues in this week’s column, from Saskatchewan crop yields to the value of the Canadian dollar to China’s changing support for domestic wheat producers. Currency dips The biggest market mover last week was the Canadian dollar’s decline to trade just below US78 cents. Only last month, most Canadian currency analysts predicted the […] Read more
China cuts wheat price to reduce production
BEIJING, China (Reuters) — China, the world’s top wheat producer, has cut its minimum purchase price for the grain for 2018 to help whittle its mammoth stockpiles and adjust to the market, the first such move since the policy was launched over a decade ago. Winter wheat is already seeded, so the impact of the […] Read more
Low protein U.S. soy crop dents meal quality; may hike feed costs
CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) — A protein shortfall in this year’s U.S. soybean crop has forced processors to cut the amount of the nutrient they can guarantee in soymeal, prompting concerns that animal feed costs could rise. Adverse crop weather this summer likely dragged down the protein content of soybeans, prompting concern that the soymeal produced […] Read more
Lights out on wheat, durum, barley contracts
What happens when a mall begins losing tenants and dark storefronts begin appearing? Shoppers will continue to go there for a little while, but there will be fewer of them, and then more shops will close and fewer and fewer people will visit the mall. Eventually it will become like a ghost town and usually […] Read more
Canfax report
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. Fed prices jump The Canfax fed steer weighted average was $140.77 per hundredweight, up $3.08, while heifers […] Read more
WP livestock report
Hogs edge up The weaker loonie helped lift Canadian cash hog prices but the rally in the United States slowed as packer profits narrowed. Traders will watch pork demand closely now that U.S. national pork month has ended. American Thanksgiving is approaching with increased demand for turkey but hams should also be in demand. The […] Read more
Cattle futures rise again on cash hopes, hogs widely mixed
CHICAGO, Nov 1 (Reuters) – U.S. live cattle futures bounded to life-of-contract highs for the third straight session on Wednesday, rising on expectations that beef packers will continue paying higher prices in Plains cash markets, traders said. About 1,500 cattle sold at the weekly Fed Cattle Exchange online auction at $120 per cwt, which was […] Read more
VIDEO: Canada’s agricultural markets update – November 1, 2017
D’Arce McMillan, The Western Producer markets editor, monitors trends in the North American and global agricultural markets. Each week he hosts a market video about crops. The video is designed to help viewers understand the forces responsible for changes in the trade. If agricultural markets are important to you, we have you covered.
Cattle futures surge to contract highs on higher cash prices
CHICAGO, Oct 30 (Reuters) – U.S. live cattle and feeder cattle futures contracts surged to lifetime peaks on Monday, boosted by unexpectedly high-priced sales in cash cattle markets that occurred after the futures close on Friday, traders said. Cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange surpassed Friday’s highs when trade resumed on Monday and some […] Read more
