Glacier FarmMedia—With farmers across Western Canada getting ready to plant their crops or they have already made a few rounds in the field, feed grain prices across the Prairies remained in a holding pattern, according to Jerry Klassen of Resilient Capital in Winnipeg, Man.
“What we are seeing right now in southern Alberta is that feedlots have the bulk of their demand covered for April and May,” Klassen said, noting they are covered for part of June as well.
“Open demand is very limited in the short term,” he added, pointing to spring road bans as another factor in keeping feed grain prices steady.
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Klassen said that good export movement continued to underpin the feed market. Those overseas purchases picked up when feed prices were lower in March, which made Canada rather competitive with Australia, France and Germany.
As for the crop about to go into the ground, Klassen stated the market isn’t overly concerned at the moment.
“The market is really concerned after the crop is seeded. After we start to focus on what conditions are like,” he explained.
Once the farmers are finished with their planting, Klassen said there will likely be a surge in deliveries.
Prairie Ag Hotwire reported virtually no changes to feed barley and feed wheat prices for the week ended Apr. 18. There was a four-cent decline in old crop feed barley in Alberta which brought that province’s prices to C$4.63 to 6.49 per bushel delivered. Those in Saskatchewan held at C44.80 to C$5.25/bu. delivered, as Manitoba stood pat at C$4.85 to C$5.
Feed wheat prices were unchanged across the Prairies, with those Alberta at C$6.60 to C$8.44/bu. delivered, according to Hotwire. Saskatchewan was firm at C$6.60 to $8.13/bu. with Manitoba steady at C$7.29.
New crop pricing on the Prairies for feed barley ranged from C$4.52 to C$6.34/bu. delivered with feed wheat at C$5.44 to C$7.50.
— Glen Hallick reports for MarketsFarm from Winnipeg.
