For the week ending September 14, Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were relatively unchanged compared to seven days earlier. However, yearling quality has become quite variable resulting in a diverse price structure.

Klassen: Discounts start to appear in the feeder market

Saskatchewan crop report: Hot, dry conditions help harvest
Saskatchewan’s harvest was more than halfway finished at 61 per cent complete, although not as much as the 68 per cent complete from one year ago. The figure was higher than the 42 per cent reported last week, the five-year average of 50 per cent and the 10-year average of 46 per cent. The southwest region was the nearest to completion at 85 per cent while the northeast region’s harvest was only at 34 per cent.

Saskatchewan canary seed exports surpass C$100 million in 2023
Canary seed exports from Saskatchewan were worth over C$100 million in 2023, the provincial government announced on Sept. 11.

Prairie forecast: Cooler and wetter in the west, dry and warm in the east
Forecast issued Sept. 11, covering Sept. 11 to 18, 2024
Our weather pattern looks to be on the brink of a shift as a trough of low pressure begins to develop along the West Coast.
For those of you in Alberta, this will mean cooler and wetter conditions. In Manitoba, it looks like summer will continue for at least one more week. If you are in Saskatchewan, well, you will be stuck in the middle of these two features.

Klassen: Feeder cattle markets in price discovery mode
For the week ending September 7, Western Canadian yearling markets traded steady to $5/cwt higher in Alberta but steady to $6/cwt lower in Saskatchewan and Manitoba compared to seven days earlier. Major feedlots in Alberta appear to be focusing on local cattle. The calf market is in price discovery mode with prices quoted $10/cwt higher to $10/cwt lower.

Saskatchewan Crop Report: Harvest marches on despite rains, hail
Severe storms brought strong winds, heavy rains, and, in some places, golf ball-sized hail over parts of Saskatchewan. Nevertheless, the province’s harvest continued to progress during the week ended Aug. 26, according to the agriculture department’s weekly crop report.

Prairie forecast: Summer weather not over yet
It looks like summer is not over yet. After a week of fairly unstable weather across much of the Prairies, it looks like we're moving into a period of stable warm weather to start September.

Klassen: Larger supplies weigh on feeder market
For the week ending August 24, Western Canadian yearling prices were down $6-$12/cwt from seven days earlier. Calf markets traded $10-$12/cwt below week-ago levels. Larger numbers are coming on stream resulting in the softer tone.

Saskatchewan Crop Report: Harvest continues amidst scattered storms
Saskatchewan reported 15 per cent of its harvest was complete, compared to 21 per cent at this time last year, but higher than the five-year average of 13 per cent and the 10-year average of 11 per cent. In the southwest region, 29 per cent of its harvest was complete while the northwest region was only at one per cent complete.

Prairie forecast: Warm but unsettled weather
Forecast issued Aug. 21, covering Aug. 21 to 28, 2024
Last week's forecast got off to a rough start. The area of low pressure that pushed through the eastern Prairies ended up as a large upper level low. Because those are slow to move out, they can affect systems trying to move east by backing them up or forcing them to take a different path. So, while the overall pressure pattern across the Prairies was still slack as forecasted, the details got all messed up.