Livestock prices are a lot better than a year ago. The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture publishes a Market Trends report that lists current grain and livestock prices versus the price one year earlier. A1 steers in Saskatchewan are currently listed at 90 cents a pound. A year ago, the price was 82 cents. D1 / D2 cows are a lot better at around 59 cents as compared to only 39 cents last year. With the fall calf run approaching, a lot of cow-calf producers will be following the price of feeder calves. The report lists the current price of 500 to 600 pound steer calves at $1.20 a pound, versus $1.09 last year. That’s roughly another $60 per calf. While that’s helpful, prices will have to increase further to provide a decent return. Many livestock analysts and observers believe cattle prices will indeed continue to strengthen. Look at the big turnaround in the hog industry. A year ago, Index 100 market hogs in Saskatchewan were around $95 per hundred kilograms. Now prices are in the $150 to $160 range. That’s the kind of increase cow-calf producers would like to see. I’m Kevin Hursh.
DynAgra, an independent Western Canada-based Company, is dedicated to providing growers with the tools to manage the risk and maximize the profitability of their farm business through the continued innovation of agricultural products and services. We are committed to developing and providing growers with the latest in precision agronomics, variable rate technology, soil fertility, crop protection, fertilizers, custom application and financial solutions.
Tags: ag products, ag services, agricultural products, agricultural services, cattle prices, crop protection, custom application, Dynagra, fertilizers, financial solutions, livestock, Market Trends, precision agronomics, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, soil fertility, Variable Rate Technology
There are major developments in the feed barley market. Drought in Russia and Ukraine and restricted exports from those major feed barley suppliers has meant a significant increase in offshore prices. Suddenly, the export market can compete with what Canadian producers are receiving for feed barley in the domestic market. Our domestic livestock industry is going to have to pay more or else substitute barley with corn or Distillers Dried Grains from the U.S. The Canadian Wheat Board says it has sold over 200,000 tonnes of export feed barley in recent weeks. Producers can enter into three way Guaranteed Delivery Contracts involving the CWB and a grain company. The CWB has a guaranteed in-store price and a delivery period. Producers negotiate the freight and handling with the grain company. The CWB says the most recent contracts have had a guaranteed price of $215 a tonne basis Vancouver. By my arithmetic, that should equate to prices of well over $3 a bushel in Saskatchewan. The CWB says contract prices have been continually increasing as new tenders are awarded. Producers can call the CWB to find out more or call elevator companies to see if they’re participating in any tenders. I’m Kevin Hursh.
DynAgra, an independent Western Canada-based Company, is dedicated to providing growers with the tools to manage the risk and maximize the profitability of their farm business through the continued innovation of agricultural products and services. We are committed to developing and providing growers with the latest in precision agronomics, variable rate technology, soil fertility, crop protection, fertilizers, custom application and financial solutions.
Tags: ag products, ag services, Canadian Wheat Board, crop protection, custom application, CWB, Distillers Dried Grains, Dynagra, feed barley market, fertilizers, financial solutions, Guaranteed Delivery Contracts, precision agronomics, Russia, soil fertility, Ukraine, Variable Rate Technology
Tomorrow, August 20, is going to be a big day for Canadian grain markets. Statistics Canada will be coming out with its estimate of field crop production for each of the grains, oilseeds and specialty crops. This is a bigger deal than usual because there’s so much uncertainty over how much was actually seeded this spring and how much of what was seeded has been flooded out. Stat Can’s estimate of crop area came out on June 23, but it was based on a survey conducted weeks earlier. Producers were unable to seed all the acres they had intended, so the estimates bore little resemblance to reality. On top of that, continuous rains flooded a lot of seeded land and some crops were hit harder than others. On many crops, Western Canadian production has a big impact on prices. Tomorrow’s Stat Can report could be a market mover in canola, oats, flax, lentils, mustard and canaryseed. The price moves could be positive or negative depending upon how the Stat Can numbers vary from trade estimates. With so much uncertainty on seeded acreage, market surprises are much more likely than usual. I’m Kevin Hursh.
DynAgra, an independent Western Canada-based Company, is dedicated to providing growers with the tools to manage the risk and maximize the profitability of their farm business through the continued innovation of agricultural products and services. We are committed to developing and providing growers with the latest in precision agronomics, variable rate technology, soil fertility, crop protection, fertilizers, custom application and financial solutions.
Tags: ag products, ag services, agricultural products, agricultural services, Canadian grain markets, Canaryseed, Canola, crop protection, custom application, Dynagra, fertilizers, field crop production, financial solutions, flax, grains, lentils, mustrad, oats, oilseeds, precision agronomics, soil fertility, specialty crops, Statistics Canada, Variable Rate Technology
Saskatchewan’s lentil crop is in big trouble. With about three million acres seeded, an average crop of lentils at prevailing prices should be worth three quarters of a billion dollars. With the weather conditions we’ve been having, there will be heavy losses. Recent heavy rains are flattening the crop canopy and in many cases, the plants are laying in the mud rotting from the bottom up. Most of the production occurs on the bottom pods and those are the ones most likely to degrade. If the weather turns dry and if there’s some heat, it will help preserve quality and quantity. If we continue to get rain and clouds, it’s going to be an ugly harvest. Already there are many producers looking at a salvage operation rather than a bountiful harvest. It’s a big production region and there are still many areas where the crop has good potential, but these are anxious times for lentil producers everywhere. Lentils aren’t the only crop in trouble, just the one in the forefront at the moment. The recent cool, wet weather has slowed crop maturation and many crops in many regions are at a huge frost risk. I’m Kevin Hursh.
DynAgra, an independent Western Canada-based Company, is dedicated to providing growers with the tools to manage the risk and maximize the profitability of their farm business through the continued innovation of agricultural products and services. We are committed to developing and providing growers with the latest in precision agronomics, variable rate technology, soil fertility, crop protection, fertilizers, custom application and financial solutions.
Tags: ag products, ag services, agricultural products, agricultural services, crop canopy, crop protection, custom application, Dynagra, fertilizers, financial solutions, harvest, heavy rains, lentil, lentil crop, lentil producers, precision agronomics, Saskatchewan, soil fertility, Variable Rate Technology
The rain over the past week was not on the wish list for most farmers. As crops ripen, rain is going to become less and less welcome. Much of the Prairie grain belt has seen record high precipitation this growing season. The weather problems in Russia and Ukraine are the complete opposite of what we’re facing. Last Friday, I received an email from Al Hingston, a livestock consultant from Saskatchewan who is living in Ukraine. He reports that they’ve had temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s for several weeks now, occasionally accompanied by high winds. The corn fields have been blasted and look almost like dead ripe barley – pale yellow white. The sunflowers have finished flowering and the heads are hanging. Hingston wonders how the seeds will fill without rain. He reports that the winter crops have come off not bad, but he says the summer crops are going to take a terrible hit, at least in his Oblast. Reports indicate the hot, dry conditions there are widespread. Meanwhile, the problems of both Western Canada and the former Soviet Union pale in comparison to what people in Pakistan are facing. I’m Kevin Hursh.
DynAgra, an independent Western Canada-based Company, is dedicated to providing growers with the tools to manage the risk and maximize the profitability of their farm business through the continued innovation of agricultural products and services. We are committed to developing and providing growers with the latest in precision agronomics, variable rate technology, soil fertility, crop protection, fertilizers, custom application and financial solutions.
Tags: ag products, ag services, agricultural products, agricultural services, corn fields, crop protection, custom application, Dynagra, fertilizers, financial solutions, Pakistan, Prairie grain belt, precision ag, precision agronomics, record high precipitation, Russia, Saskatchewan, soil fertility, Soviet Union, sunflowers, Ukraine, Variable Rate Technology, western canada, winter crops
There’s a third product choice for desiccating peas, lentils and chickpeas. Up until now, the only registered choices have been glyphosate and Reglone. Glyphosate provides control of perennial weeds in the crop, but it’s very slow for crop dry down. Reglone provides fast dry down, but in heavy crops it doesn’t always penetrate to the bottom of the canopy. Reglone is also quite expensive. The new choice is CleanStart from Nufarm. It has just received registration. CleanStart has been used as a burnoff at seeding time and in chem fallow. It contains glyphosate as well as a Group 14 herbicide called carfentrazone. The glyphosate will provide perennial weed control and it’s a systemic product that will keep working to dry the crop. The carfentrazone will provide a faster dry down than glyphosate alone. It’s important that producers use only registered products for desiccation. When a product is applied close to harvest time, it will typically leave a tiny, but measureable residue in the seed. On registered products, MRLs, Maximum Residue Levels have been established. On unregistered products, any detection of a residue could result in all sorts of problems in the marketplace. If you’re desiccating pulse crops, go with Reglone, glyphosate or CleanStart. I’m Kevin Hursh.
DynAgra, an independent Western Canada-based Company, is dedicated to providing growers with the tools to manage the risk and maximize the profitability of their farm business through the continued innovation of agricultural products and services. We are committed to developing and providing growers with the latest in precision agronomics, variable rate technology, soil fertility, crop protection, fertilizers, custom application and financial solutions.
Tags: ag products, ag services, agricultural products, agricultural services, carfentrazone, chickpeas, CleanStart, crop protection, custom application, desiccating, Dynagra, fertilizers, financial solutions, glyphosate, lentils, Maximum Residue Levels, MRLs, Nufarm, peas, precision agronomics, Regalone, soil fertility, Variable Rate Technology
One of the major frustrations for producers at this time of year is crop movement. In many cases, grain that was supposed to be off the farm by the end of July is still taking up bin space. This can apply to CWB grains as well as whole host of other crops. Even when there are contracts to take grain by a certain date, those deadlines are often missed. At their end, buyers can face all sorts of logistical and sales problems, but all too often they seem to over-promise what can be accomplished. Last minute grain movement ends up being another job added to the list of pre-harvest tasks. The crunch comes when harvest is starting before all the promised grain movement has occurred. Having enough bin space isn’t usually a problem early in the harvest season, but undelivered grain might be sitting in specific bins that are earmarked for new crop production. Beyond that, there’s the question of manpower. No one wants to shut down a combine to go clean out bin bottoms. As a result, grain is sometimes consolidated from flat bottom bins into hopper bottom bins at this time of year so that loading trucks will be less labour intensive. It seems that you never have too much bin space and you never have too many hopper bottom bins. I’m Kevin Hursh.
DynAgra, an independent Western Canada-based Company, is dedicated to providing growers with the tools to manage the risk and maximize the profitability of their farm business through the continued innovation of agricultural products and services. We are committed to developing and providing growers with the latest in precision agronomics, variable rate technology, soil fertility, crop protection, fertilizers, custom application and financial solutions.
Tags: ag products, ag services, agricultural products, agricultural services, crop production, crop protection, custom application, CWB, Dynagra, fertilizers, financial solutions, grain, precision agronomics, soil fertility, Variable Rate Technology
Last week, the price of wheat made national headlines. Drought in the Former Soviet Union has been pushing wheat prices higher. When Russia announced a temporary ban on wheat exports, the market spiked last Thursday and that’s when much of the media attention was generated. Some of the media reports felt it necessary to delve into what this means for consumers and the poor people of the world. One national television report said the price of a loaf of bread could increase by 30 cents. That’s extremely inaccurate. The Canadian Wheat Board has released some statistics to set the record straight. First of all, the value of wheat accounts for less than 10 per cent of the cost of a loaf of bread. A bushel of wheat makes about 67 standard loaves. At a wheat price of $4.50 a bushel, there is about 7 cents worth of wheat in a loaf of bread. Wheat futures on Thursday spiked to over $8 a bushel. At that price, there’s still only 12 cents worth of wheat in a loaf of bread. That five cent increase is a far cry from the 30 cents reported. It should also be noted that wheat fell back sharply on Friday and the price was little changed yesterday. I’m Kevin Hursh.
DynAgra, an independent Western Canada-based Company, is dedicated to providing growers with the tools to manage the risk and maximize the profitability of their farm business through the continued innovation of agricultural products and services. We are committed to developing and providing growers with the latest in precision agronomics, variable rate technology, soil fertility, crop protection, fertilizers, custom application and financial solutions.
Tags: ag products, ag services, agricultural products, agricultural services, Canadian Wheat Board, crop protection, custom application, drought, Dynagra, fertilizers, financial solutions, Former Soviet Union, precision ag, precision agronomics, Russia, soil fertility, Variable Rate Technology, whear prices, wheat, wheat exports
Oats is an interesting commodity that has seen a number of market changes in recent years. According to a recent report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada is the world’s third largest oat producer and the world’s number one oat exporter. About 95 per cent of our oat exports are to the U.S. market. Starting in 1995, the European Union provided Finland and Sweden with oat export subsidies. When those export subsidies ended in 2006, Finnish and Swedish oat exports to the U.S. were curtailed and Canada captured that business. Within Canada, oat production has become concentrated in the Prairie region, particularly Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The two provinces have market access and transportation advantages to the main U.S. market of Minneapolis. Oats continue to have a prominent place in the milling market for human food uses, but many U.S. horse markets have replaced oats with pelleted corn rations. The Ag Canada analysis says oats will have a difficult time recapturing the horse market. The medium term forecast calls for a continued decline in North American oat acres as producers gravitate to more profitable cropping options. I’m Kevin Hursh.
DynAgra, an independent Western Canada-based Company, is dedicated to providing growers with the tools to manage the risk and maximize the profitability of their farm business through the continued innovation of agricultural products and services. We are committed to developing and providing growers with the latest in precision agronomics, variable rate technology, soil fertility, crop protection, fertilizers, custom application and financial solutions.
Tags: Ag Canada, ag products, ag services, agricultural products, agricultural services, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, crop protection, custom application, Dynagra, European Union, fertilizers, financial solutions, oat exports, oats, Prairie region, precision ag, precision agronomics, soil fertility, Variable Rate Technology
Wheat futures prices have been soaring higher due to drought in the Former Soviet Union as well as Canada’s excess moisture problems. The rising market gained momentum yesterday with the announcement by Russia that it’s placing a temporary ban on wheat exports. Wheat futures on the Chicago Board of Trade closed yesterday at $8.29 a bushel. Back in June, the price was only about $4.50. Market analysts say the world stocks to use ratio for wheat isn’t really that short, certainly not as short as a couple years ago, but wheat is zooming higher anyway. Futures have now reached a 23-month high. No one can predict with any certainty where wheat prices will go in the weeks and months ahead. Maybe they’ll go higher. Maybe they’ll drop back. The Canadian Wheat Board is alerting producers that there are pricing options available to lock in some of the current rally. If the rally is short-lived, it won’t be reflected in the annual pooled price. Right now, with a Fixed Price Contract, producers can lock in a wheat price that’s about $1.50 a bushel higher than the current Pool Return Outlook. The CWB has reps available to explain the various pricing options. I’m Kevin Hursh.
DynAgra, an independent Western Canada-based Company, is dedicated to providing growers with the tools to manage the risk and maximize the profitability of their farm business through the continued innovation of agricultural products and services. We are committed to developing and providing growers with the latest in precision agronomics, variable rate technology, soil fertility, crop protection, fertilizers, custom application and financial solutions.
Tags: ag products, ag services, agricultural products, agricultural services, Canadian Wheat Board, Chicago Board of Trade, crop protection, custom application, CWB, Dynagra, fertilizers, financial solutions, Fixed Price Contract, Former Soviet Union, Pool Return Outlook, precision agronomics, Russia, soil fertility, Variable Rate Technology, wheat prices
