The Canadian government says it's prepared to restore rail service to Churchill, Man. | Port of Churchill photo

Feds to help transfer ownership, restore Churchill rail service

The federal government says it’s prepared to restore rail service to Churchill, Man. The rail line closed this spring after flooding damaged several sections of the route to the northern Manitoba community and port. The owner of the line, OmniTrax, said repairs would cost as much as US$60 million and it wasn’t prepared to pay […] Read more

Australia cuts wheat forecast to eight year low

SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) — Australia has cut its forecast for 2017-18 wheat production by nearly 10 percent to an eight-year low, as dry weather cuts yields across the country’s largest producing regions. With harvesting set to begin in coming months, wheat production is expected at 21.64 million tonnes, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource […] Read more

Loonie is flying high but will it rise much higher?

The Canadian crop market digested several things last week, including a rapidly rising loonie and rapid harvest progress. Rain expected this week across the Prairies should give many farmers a chance to take a breather after going all out for the previous few weeks. The rapid advance of the harvest in mostly dry conditions put […] Read more


WP livestock report

Hogs fall again Abundant supply kept prices on the defensive. The barrow and gilt dressed weight was 206 pounds, up one lb. from last year at the same time. The U.S. national live price average for barrows and gilts was US$57.99 per cwt. Sept. 7, down from $50.55 Sept. 1. U.S. hogs averaged $58.65 on […] 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 cattle lower The Canfax weighted fed steer average was $133.58 per hundredweight, down about $4. Heifers […] Read more


Australian canola crop smallest in seven years

WINNIPEG, Sept. 13 – Australia is expecting its smallest canola crop since 2010, after the Australian Grains and Oilseeds Federation dropped its latest production estimate by 260,000 tonnes. The federation now estimates the country’s canola production at 2.86 million tonnes, a nine per cent decline from earlier estimates. Dry conditions and frost have hit crops […] Read more

VIDEO: Canada’s agricultural markets update – September 13, 2017

VIDEO: Canada’s agricultural markets update – September 13, 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 gain on technicals, cash market hopes

CHICAGO, Sept 13 (Reuters) – U.S. live cattle futures climbed more than 1 percent on Wednesday, rebounding after two straight sessions of declines on technical buying and hopes cattle fetch steady to higher prices this week in Plains cash markets, traders and analysts said. Investors continued to exit positions in nearby cattle and lean hog […] Read more


Hog futures fall to 11-month low on cash market declines

CHICAGO, Sept 12 (Reuters) – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures tumbled to an 11-month low in a bear-spreading selloff linked to big U.S. hog supplies and declines in cash markets, traders said. Live cattle futures also eased on spreading and worries beef packers might be hesitant to pay higher prices for cattle when supplies […] Read more

Forecasted rain to cause few problems for Peace River farmers

Sept. 12 (CNS Canada) – As rain threatens to disrupt harvest in parts of the Prairies this week and next, the Peace District of northwestern Alberta is attracting added attention. While rains are forecast to be fairly general across eastern Saskatchewan and Manitoba over the next week or so, they are expected to cause minimal […] Read more