Feed Grains Weekly: Domestic prices remain flat
| 2 min read
(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)
Glacier FarmMedia — Although there has been some upward movement in feed grain prices, particularly in Alberta, it’s not domestic demand that’s pushing them higher, said Jim Beusekom, president of Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge on Feb. 19.
“The only strong bids out there are the line companies for export,” Beusekom said. “The feed guys are more or less flat.”
“The line companies are bidding farmers aggressively … for export,” he continued, adding that feedlot alley doesn’t need to look very far for enough barley or wheat.
In about a 100-kilometre radius, “they have a lot of local supply around them”, Beusekom noted. “In this crop year, they have not had to get aggressive looking for grain.”
He said the feedlots have bought about 95 per cent of the amount of barley and wheat they purchased this time last year, even with fewer cattle.
“They don’t have to move the market to get that supply.”
Feed prices
Beusekom said feed barley was about C$265 to C$270 per tonne delivered Lethbridge. Wheat and corn were around approximately C$270 to C$275 per tonne delivered Lethbridge, with corn keeping barley from going higher.
Prairie Ag Hotwire cited feed barley in Alberta at C$4.79 to C$5.99 per bushel delivered as of Feb. 18, up 11 cents on the week. Saskatchewan was unchanged at C$4.90 to C$5/bu. delivered, while Manitoba nudged up one cent at C$4.60 to C$4.62.
For feed wheat, PAH listed an 11-cent increase in Alberta at C$6.31 to C$7.70/bu. delivered. Saskatchewan and Manitoba held at C$7 and C$5.86/bu. delivered, respectively.
Beusekom said farmers need to start looking at new crop barley and wheat. That they should meet with their buyers and “put some hedges on.”
Supplies
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada projected all wheat for feed, waste and dockage to bump up to 3.78 million tonnes in 2026/27 from 3.60 million in 2025/26.
AAFC forecast barley for feed, waste and dockage to relatively firm at 5.63 million tonnes for the new crop year, with that for 2025/26 at 5.55 million.
