MarketsFarm — With harvesting operations winding down, high-delivered bids for feed barley and wheat in Alberta are higher compared to the same time last month and last year.
However, there is still some volatility in feed grain prices, according to one Lethbridge-based trader.
“I think most (of the increase) was (due to) demand, but as of (Wednesday), we’ve got three unit trains of corn coming in on Nov. 1 into Lethbridge and obviously the market here in southern Alberta dropped $7 (per tonne) for barley and $5/tonne for wheat,” Eagle Commodities trader Mike Fleischhauer said.
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“For sure, feed wheat and feed barley are definitely up, but they did a little downtrend (on Wednesday)… Who knows what’s going to happen now.”
Fleischhauer added that the majority of grain going to feedlots is barley, with most of the remainder being wheat. “But when you see most of these feedlots go to corn, it softens the (prices) up for sure,” he said.
The spot price for corn in Lethbridge ranges around $440-$450/tonne, equal to $11.18-$11.43 per bushel, he said.
“I think (feed grain prices) are going to stay very consistent (next week). I don’t think they’re going to climb as people go and buy more corn. You’re starting to see the gap close between barley and corn.”
According to Prairie Ag Hotwire, the high-delivered bid for Alberta feed barley was $9.75/bu., $1.15 higher than last month and 61 cents higher than last year. For feed wheat in the province, the high-delivered bid was $12.66/bu., up $1.36 from the month before and up $1.22 from the year before.
In Saskatchewan, the high-delivered bid for feed barley was $6.75/bu., up 25 cents from last month but down $1.40 from last year. For Saskatchewan feed wheat, it was $11.75/bu., $1.75 higher than last month and $1.50 higher than last year.
For Manitoba feed barley, the high-delivered bid was $7.25/bu., up 50 cents from last month but down $1 from last year. As for feed wheat in Manitoba, the high-delivered bid was $11.03/bu., $1.37 higher than last month and $1.22 higher than last year.
— Adam Peleshaty reports for MarketsFarm from Stonewall, Man.
