“There’s even a question of would harvest equipment be available for 2023. There will be some equipment available, but will it be what you want and [what] fits your needs?” – Bill Campbell, Keystone Agricultural Producers.  Photo: iStock/Getty Images

Manitoba crop report: dry week helps advance harvest

Cattle producers move herds to hay fields to graze regrowth

MarketsFarm – Dry conditions across crop-growing areas in Manitoba helped the province’s annual harvest get off to a good start during the week ended Aug. 20. Much of the eastern, southern and central regions received two millimetres of precipitation at most during the week with several locations receiving no rainfall at all. The northwest region

Auction facts and stats from the year so far

Auction facts and stats from the year so far

The lack of seasonal movement in prices this year was unusual

As some Manitoba cattle auction sites get set to begin the fall run in late August, producers might wonder if elevated prices throughout most of 2023 will carry into the latter months. Brenna Grant, executive director of Canfax, the marketing analysis division of the Canadian Cattle Association, said they should expect more of the same.


Livestock auction sites prepare for early reopenings

Livestock auction sites prepare for early reopenings

While not as significant as 2021, auctions are still extending their normal dates

It’s not the situation that faced Manitoba auction sites in 2021, when the summer break was cut short due to historic drought, but some sites this year will start the fall run a few weeks early. The early start is due to ongoing heat and dryness experienced for much of this summer, particularly in southwestern

Cattle prices strong as fall run approaches

Cattle prices strong as fall run approaches

Drought in Manitoba isn’t as bad as 2021, but earlier auction openings are possible

Four cattle auction sites in Manitoba held regular sales for the week ending July 27, and two more have announced their returns for the fall run. Heartland Livestock Services in Brandon and Virden, as well as Grunthal Livestock Auction Mart and Winnipeg Livestock Sales all had sales during the week. In total, 1,125 cattle went


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CBOT weekly outlook: August forecasts pulling prices down 

Wheat prices went down during the week despite Russia’s withdrawal from Black Sea deal

MarketsFarm – Recent weather forecasts for much of the United States put pressure on grain prices on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) during the week ended Aug. 2.  Cooler and wetter conditions are expected for the U.S. Midwest during the first half of August, which could help stabilize corn and soybean crops affected by

a field of flowering rapeseed

Black Sea deal collapse lifts canola markets

The grain corridor deal collapse has spiked uncertainty over grain supply from Ukraine

Over the past few months, Russia’s actions toward Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations regarding the Black Sea Grain Initiative are akin to a teenager threatening to leave home because they didn’t get their way. Most times, sooner or later, the kid relents, and all is back to what resembles normal. Maybe the parents bought


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CBOT weekly update: U.S. Fed decision one of many factors 

Russia’s withdrawal from Black Sea Grain Initiative, attacks on Ukrainian ports have caused erratic price movement

Marketsfarm – The decision by the United States Federal Reserve on July 26 to raise its key interest rates mostly served as a distraction on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) from other events affecting grain futures.  The central bank continued its efforts to wrangle inflation by pushing interest rates up 25 basis points to

High cattle prices seen continuing into fall

High cattle prices seen continuing into fall

Strong beef demand from consumers also carried into the first half of 2023

The only things hotter than Prairie temperatures this summer were the prices for cattle during the spring run. While only a handful of cattle auction sites remain open in Manitoba, feeder and slaughter cattle continue to be sold at rapidly rising prices unseen in at least a decade. For example, on Jan. 10, the highest-priced


Minnesota farmer John Peterson, who uses no-till and cover crops in his corn and soybean fields, and Anna Teeter, a conservation agronomist with Cargill, examine the soil at his farm at North Branch, north of St. Paul, Minnesota, on June 16.

Weather to make grain prices high, growing conditions dry

Acreage estimates from StatCan were bearish for canola values

June has ended and many have looked up at fireworks lighting up the night sky, celebrating holidays on both sides of the Canada/U.S. border. However, canola growers, traders and analysts will either be looking at the sky for clouds or down at weather maps. After rallying throughout the first half of June to its highest

High prices, optimism buoy beef producers

High prices, optimism buoy beef producers

Tighter cattle supplies have ‘shifted the dynamic’

This past spring saw a bull market in terms of cattle prices. The fact of fewer animals in North America caused cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, as well as local prices, to surge toward levels unseen in nearly a decade. Manitoba Beef Producers past-president Tyler Fulton, now vice-president of the Canadian Cattle Association,