The current commodity markets are a key economic indicator, and as many are well aware, in the commodity world the key indicator is crude oil. Where crude goes, so does the rest of the commodities, says Errol Anderson, president of ProMarket Communications Inc., based at Calgary, Alta. As things look according to Anderson, there’s a… Read More
Category: Markets
Cattle markets have held their own over the last week, with prime grilling season underway heading into the Memorial Day weekend in the U.S. and Father’s Day around the corner. U.S. cattle prices this week ranged from one to three dollars higher, from south to north, explains Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange in… Read More
Olymel says it has “made the difficult decision” to reduce its hog operations in Western Canada due to continued financial losses and uncertainty in pork markets. Approximately 80 employees at five sow facilities in Alberta (Smoky Sow/Dev, Pinnacle 1, Pinnacle 2, Dynacrest 1 and Dynacrest 2) and one farm in Saskatchewan (Kelsey) have been given… Read More
Concerns about drought stress in the U.S. wheat growing area may have bumped the slumping wheat market higher for a day or two, but farmers deciding when to sell both old and new crop need to look at the bigger picture, including the overall economic slowdown, global crop production, and higher interest rates, says the… Read More
The road back to profitability for the pork sector is likely long and difficult as Canadian producers continue to face a troublesome combination of declining domestic demand, fewer opportunities in export markets, and the spectre of tougher U.S. animal welfare regulations that could drive prices lower. It all adds up to tough times for pork… Read More
The immediate impact of finding a BSE-positive cow in Alberta in 2003 was swift and brutal. Overnight, Canada’s export market evaporated and prices for cattle, especially older animals, tanked. As we look back on the decades that have followed, the longer-lasting impacts have been monumental, but not necessarily as clear. To dive in to what… Read More
The Black Sea grain deal that allows Ukrainian grain exports to continue has been extended by two months, a day before the agreement with Russia was set to expire. Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan announced Russia had agreed to the extension early Wednesday, sending grain futures markets lower as the second consecutive 60-day extension allayed concerns… Read More
If you look at the commodity markets as of Tuesday, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, but for the most part — there’s no green on the screen. Jim McCormick of AgMarket.Net joined RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney to discuss what is going on, and where this uncertainty is coming from. As you can… Read More
As the growing season really gets going across North America, we’re starting to see a little more hope on where the grass is growing, and there’s a bit more optimism out there in the pasture — especially in southwestern Saskatchewan, which has faced multiple years of hard drought and where this week’s Beef Market Update… Read More
It’s a busy time of year for just about everyone — the crop is getting in the ground, calves (and lambs) are hitting the ground, and there are never enough hours in a day to get all the things done. Making sales of new-crop product, whether that’s grain or calves, is perhaps not top of… Read More
The expulsion from Canada of a Chinese diplomat earlier this week could wreak havoc on grain exports… or not. What could happen with exports is concerning, yes, but there are much more concrete factors set to shape markets in the short term, says one analyst. Ranulf Glanville with GrainFox says getting a better handle on… Read More
Wheat. A mainstay of crop rotations globally and a huge part of the Canadian export market, wheat has not had a great run the last few weeks. To unpack all that’s going on with this market, we go to Brian Voth, founder of Intellifarm Inc., based at Manitoba. First, Voth says we need to check… Read More
Statistics Canada is reviewing the timing of its traditional April seeding intentions report, after making a major change to the way it compiled data for the report this year. The seeding intentions report for 2023, released last week, was based on a farmer survey conducted from December 12, 2022, to January 14, 2023. Historically, the… Read More
If ever there was to be an all-good-news edition of the Beef Market Update, it may just be this week. Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange runs through the numbers south of the border, in the finished and feeder markets, and all the way down to grass cattle and the news is good to… Read More
While the energy markets should be focused on supply and demand fundamentals, nagging economic factors and volatility in geopolitics are getting all the attention right now. That’s according to Phil Flynn, author of the Energy Report, who says banking stress in the U.S. and overseas, inflationary costs, and continued unrest in Ukraine and Sudan is… Read More