After closing for 14 days due to a COVID-19 outbreak among employees, Olymel is resuming operations at its pork processing plant in Red Deer, Alberta starting on Thursday, March 4. With support from Alberta Health Services, the company says slaughter operations will resume on Thursday, with cutting room operations beginning on Friday. The company says… Read More
Category: Markets
If you’re looking at the price of fertilizer and growing conditions and wondering if it’s the year to either pull rates back or put the hammer down, this episode of The Agronomists is for you. Host Lyndsey Smith is joined by John Heard, soil fertility specialist with Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development, and Steph Berlett,… Read More
It’s not far off to say that many producers are trying to decipher what is going on in the commodity markets right now. If you’ve been following some of the media reports, you’ve most likely seen headlines that involve the words “commodity super-cycle.” We see it, but do we know exactly what a commodity super-cycle… Read More
A current issue on a lot of people’s minds are the commodity markets, and unbelievable old crop and futures canola prices are sure a surprise for many. But what exactly is a commodity super-cycle, what’s behind it, and how long will it last? For this RealAg LIVE! session, Shaun Haney chats with Brett Stuart of… Read More
The Western Canadian grain trade, with the support of the Prairie provinces, is launching a campaign to push for changes to “outdated and problematic” federal rules around the oversight of Canada’s ports, mainly driven by cost increases at the Port of Vancouver over the last few years. The Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA) says its… Read More
It’s only 11 days until the meteorological start of spring, which is pretty cool, but so are the temperatures in Ontario, in Western Canada, and all the way down to the southern U.S. On this Wheat Pete’s Word, our host Peter Johnson fields all sorts of questions about the cold, plus manganese, scaring away birds,… Read More
Olymel has temporarily closed its hog slaughtering, cutting, and deboning plant at Red Deer, Alberta. “Despite the testing protocols and sanitary measures already in place, as well as the close collaboration of Alberta Health Services to deal with a resurgence of positive cases of COVID-19 among plant employees, Olymel management believes that the conditions are… Read More
At least six commercial hog producers in Alberta are advocating for reducing pig production in the province to pressure processors to change how animals are priced. The group met with Alberta Pork’s board of directors and staff last week to discuss their proposal to cut production, and to determine where the provincial organization stands on… Read More
Whether you are buying or selling on the feed market side, there’s no doubt that you’ve noticed prices skyrocketing. Between a lack of U.S. corn, and corn availability coming into Canada, the price has been driven upwards. Brian Voth of IntelliFarm Inc. says the lack of supply has followed economics 101, and has driven up the… Read More
Merit Functional Foods has started commissioning its $150 million pea and canola protein facility at Winnipeg, Man. Construction on the 94-thousand square foot plant on the west side of the city started in the fall of 2019. “This is a momentous step for us,” says Merit’s co-CEO Ryan Bracken, highlighting the completion of construction in… Read More
Mice, flax, a birthday, and what’s supposed to be the sole topic of today’s conversation: markets. There’s a lot to cover in market talk lately. Making the markets make sense with Kara Oosterhuis for today’s RealAg LIVE! is Brian Voth of IntelliFARM Inc. RealAg LIVE! streams every weekday at 3 pm E on Youtube, Facebook,… Read More
There were no big surprises in the USDA’s February supply/demand report on Tuesday, although it had a slightly bearish tone thanks to a lower-than-expected corn export estimate. U.S. corn ending stocks for 2020-21 were reduced by 50 million bushels compared to the January report on a 50 million bushel increase in exports driven by China…. Read More
There were big numbers in the beef market this past month for pricing, carcass weights, and harvest rates. Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange breaks it down for us in this Beef Market Update. As Wasko explains, the U.S. cash side of the market is a little higher again this week, landing at $114/cwt… Read More
It’s no surprise that African swine fever (ASF) is continuing to impact pork production in Asia and Europe, as well as global trade flows. COVID-19 continues to impact the entire supply chain too, from producers all the way to consumers. However, there may be some good news here, as Rabobank is predicting demand to rebound… Read More
There’s been a lot of action in the commodity markets lately, some of which has led to some stellar pricing opportunities for farmers. There are some global pressures and buying patterns emerging that could put a squeeze on some prices, however, all while farmers are finalizing acreage plans for 2021. To talk about wheat, canola,… Read More