Glacier FarmMedia | MarketsFarm – With Alberta farmers presently reluctant to sell their barley and wheat for feed, cash prices have been on the upswing, according to Darcy Haley, vice-president Ag Value Brokers in Lethbridge.
Haley said feed barley has risen over the last week by about C$10 at C$275 per tonne to Lethbridge for October-November-December delivery.
“When you get a little bit of demand with the lack of farmer selling, we move the market up,” he explained.
However, the recent increases might not push much higher, Haley speculated.
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“I don’t know if it’s come to an end, but it just feels like it has settled down,” he commented.
Haley said feed wheat has also been priced at C$275/tonne, but there have been few seller at that level, so it could increase to C$285 delivered in southern Alberta.
“Producers are more focused on getting their crops off than marketing any grain right now,” he said, noting there’s an abundance of barley and wheat for feed this year.
Barley has been coming in at 43 to 46 pounds per bushel with some of it lighter than that, he said.
If barley is closer to 48 lbs./bu., Haley pointed out the buyers are not too keen on it, as it’s either more difficult to process or it takes longer to do so. That has meant corn becomes the alternative despite it being C$6 to C$8/bu. higher.
“It’s a consistent product with consistent supply,” he said.
