Heifers take biggest hit
The fed cattle market fell last week, with heifers taking most of the hit.
Packers in Canada and the United States appeared to have plenty of inventory.
Prices June 18 were steers $81.30-$84.20 per hundredweight and heifers $78.75-$84.45.
The beef meat market is sluggish and the renewal of the Asian financial malaise isn’t helping.
“Considering how much beef is around, both in the pipeline and in packer inventory, it is hard to assume anything but continued pressure ahead,” said Canfax in its weekly report June 19.
Read Also
Push for Hudson Bay port shouldn’t rob funds from existing export hubs
An expanded Port of Churchill would unlock the dream to end the Prairie’s land-locked status with its own northern coast gateway to the world.
Supplies of market-ready cattle are expected to ease into July, but with slow markets now, some cattle that should have been sold in June will show up in July. Also, carcass weights are heavier than normal so the beef supply will remain high.
Canfax expects prices to remain at this low value.
Cow prices firmed a little last week and Canfax thinks that gain should hold firm.
Feeder cattle prices in Alberta fell last week by one to two cents per pound. In Saskatchewan and Manitoba, steers rose a little while heifers fell.
Sales volumes were about double what they were last year due to drought-forced marketings.
In the stock cow trade, bred cows and heifer quotes were mostly unchanged due to lack of numbers reported sold.
Bred cows sold at $500-$950 (bulk from $850-$950) and bred heifers at $500-$800. Cow-calf pairs were well quoted and ranged from $600-$1,300 (bulk from $800-$1000). The price outlook is steady, Canfax said.
Pork follows U.S. price
Wholesale prices for pork loins have fallen and U.S. packers appear to be having difficulty breaking even at current hog prices, said Manitoba Agriculture June 19.
U.S. hog prices declined from highs of $44.50 (U.S.) per cwt. live early in the week to $42-43 per cwt. by June 18.
Packers do not appear to be backed up, but poor demand for pork is depressing the U.S. market.
In Canada, the weaker Canadian dollar helped keep prices more stable, but they too fell by the end of the week in response to the U.S. situation.
Rain rescues Manitoba
Winnipeg bureau
Rain poured across the province last week, saving some crops and drowning others.
In the west, soil moisture went from poor to good in a a few days. Most of the rain soaked into the ground with little runoff or ponding.
Western Manitoba received 80 to 140 millimetres. Melita received 185 mm.
Rainfall ranged greatly in other parts of the province. In low parts of the central, eastern and Interlake region, water is standing in fields, and crops like flax and peas are showing water stress.
Altona received only five mm, while Pilot Mound was hit by 80 mm. Water is ponding in some areas around Selkirk, Gimli and Libau.
Some early cereal crops are starting to head, but most are tillering to jointing.
Some canola fields are starting to bolt and flower. Flax is tillering.
Fall rye is filling. Winter wheat is flowering in the east and Interlake, and mostly headed in the southwest.
The rain helped pastures around the province, but hindered hay harvest and lowered quality of swathed hay.
But the moisture will help improve prospects for the second cut of hay.
Farmers around Morris and Carman have spotted cereal leaf diseases and a few bertha armyworms. Scouting for sclerotinia in ongoing.
Grasshoppers continue to be pests in several parts of the province.
Spraying for bugs and weeds has been slowed by the rain.
Rain saves Saskatchewan crops
Saskatoon newsroom
Drought-stricken crops across most of Saskatchewan have been saved by a steady, soaking rainfall. “Everyone is really happy now,” says Yorkton agrologist Jim Donovan.
But in the worst dry areas west of Saskatoon, the rain is too late to produce a decent crop in many fields.
“Two weeks ago this would have been more welcome,” said Saskatoon agrologist Larry Gramiak. “Nothing will save some of these crops.”
Most areas received between three and eight centimetres of rain. The Broadview area received as much as 25 cm. West of Saskatoon good rainfall helped one of the worst afflicted parts of the province. Southwest Saskatchewan also received a heavy dose of rain.
That is going to allow crops to recover from the weeks of drought that have followed since seeding, agrologists say. In many fields crops have been almost dormant for a month, needing a rain to advance. Other crops are heading out and flowering very low.
Pastures needed the rainfall to recover, and producers will soon be able to put more head on the grass. The first hay cut is very poor and short, but this rainfall will allow for a good second cut in many areas.
Many producers are now in the troubling position of wanting to spray, but not being able to. Crops that didn’t seem worth spraying will now be bounding ahead, Indian Head agrologist Judy McKell said. So will weeds. But the ground is too wet to spray now, and by the time it dries the crop will probably be too high. Producers may have to accept the presence of weeds.
The generally good moisture news in most of the province doesn’t apply to the area along the Alberta border from Kindersley to Meadow Lake. The rains that bathed the rest of the province missed those areas, and they are suffering greatly from drought. The crops are ailing and pastures unable to support much livestock. Hay crops are very small, and there’s little feed to buy in the area.
Grasshoppers continue to be a problem in patches across the province. Some diamondback moth spraying is occuring. In the southeast cutworms are a problem in some canola crops. Flea beetles are still active in some areas.
Alberta either too dry or too wet
Camrose bureau
Northern and eastern Alberta farmers are still looking for rain. Many of them are waiting for the beginning of July and the magic date for crop insurance. They can then plow up their poor crops or turn their cattle onto them for emergency grazing.
In the crops that aren’t plowed under there will be substantial yield losses. Many fields are 15 centimetres high (six inches) and are already beginning to flower or head out, especially hay and canola.
It’s estimated half the crops can be classified as poor.
In the dry areas, peas seem to be holding out the best. They were seeded early into good moisture and were well established before the dry weather hit.
Tame hay and pasture continue to deteriorate. Some cattle are moving off the farm into feedlots or anywhere farmers can scare up pasture.
On the flip side, rain continued to fall in the Strathmore, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat areas. There were even reports of rivers flooding their banks.
Crop development has slowed over the last week to 10 days because of the wet, cool weather, although farmers aren’t complaining much. They are looking for a bit of a break to finish spraying and to begin cutting hay.
In the Peace River area, dry conditions persist. Crops are beginning to discolor and lose their lower leaves from drought stress. Lygus bugs continue to be a problem.
