Glacier FarmMedia—Variable weather across Alberta, including near-freezing temperatures and some snow, has brought some caution to feed grain growers in the province.
Susanne Leclerc, owner of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton, said moisture levels in Alberta are not distributed evenly with the north seeing plenty of rain and the south becoming drier. A recent cold snap between Calgary and Edmonton plunged lows to around the freezing mark earlier this week, while snow fell over parts of the Foothills.
“You have some areas that have ideal growing conditions, but they don’t have the heat. (Crops) are growing slower than usual at this time of year,” Leclerc added. “There was some frost reported in Alberta and Saskatchewan this week, which is crazy for the middle of June. So it will be interesting to see how everyone survives this cold snap.”
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Despite the weather scare, most crops are still expected to be good to excellent. As a result, some prices are declining.
“Barley has come down about 30 cents per bushel over the past two weeks, just based on the fact that everyone’s seeing a crop coming and grazing conditions are better,” Leclerc said. “Feed wheat has dropped off about the same and more in some cases, depending on what you can find.”
She added that while it’s unsure of the grain bought by feedlots, there are still plenty of deliveries coming in. With Eastern Canada in a heat wave with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius and Western Canada is an ongoing cooler weather pattern, Leclerc said it’s anyone’s guess how the market will react.
“I think it’s a wait-and-see game on this one,” she said.
