All throughout our lives we go through experiences that make us feel as though we are finishing one chapter and beginning the next. Much like a fictional story, some chapters are short and sweet while others are much longer and difficult to get through. These experiences can often be life-altering and profound. They can be things such as: learning to ride a bicycle, graduating high school, getting your first job, beginning post-secondary education, getting married, having children, or losing a loved one. The list goes on and on for these life-altering events. While these events can vary in severity, and chapters of life can vary in length and difficulty, one thing for certain is that these events are not often easy to deal with whether they be for good or bad. One thing you come to learn in life is that no matter the severity, the world does not stop to wait for you – it just keeps on spinning.
For me personally I have recently gone through multiple different events like these that make me feel as though I have finished a chapter in my life and am now beginning a new one. One momentous change was moving out of my first apartment in Stony Plain with my partner and moving into our first condo together, and on top of that this condo is right here in the heart of Edmonton, a long shot away from the quieter small towns we have always grew up in and lived in. A lot of change comes with moving from one area and type of lifestyle to a completely new one, but we are extremely excited about this change and cannot wait for all the fun experiences and memories we will have together here in Edmonton. On the other hand, even more recently we lost our nearly 17-year-old cat Yoshi to small cell lymphoma, a type of cancer she had developed in more recent years. No matter how ready or prepared you think you can be for such an event, I have learned that no amount of preparation is ever enough. These things are all a part of life; the best thing we can do is keep our heads held high and put one foot in front of the other and trust that things will get better.
So, as we move forward in life, I say just keep embracing each chapter as they come. While some chapters may take longer and be harder to get through, there will always be another one filled with great new experiences and memories to come along the way. My most recent chapter had some tough times and some good, but I am always extremely excited to see what the future will bring, and I hope all of you are as well.
Because Farming is Forever Austin Fiddes
Thanks a lot Blum Enterprises for this great photo!
Thank you very much Calvin Miller for this beautiful photo!
Market Report – Erin Harakal
A roller coaster is an understatement when you look at the price of canola and wheat over the last few weeks. The price of wheat and canola has made a recovery over the past few days. Canola at one point was as low as $16.80/bu delivered and now it is back up to $18.00/bu delivered range. Right now, rising crude oil prices are lending support to vegetable oil markets which in turn has been good for canola pricing. When it comes to Canola ending stocks there seems to be ample to get buyers to end of the crop year. HRS wheat at one point was as low as $10.80/bu delivered but now is back up to $11.50/bu delivered.
When it comes to feed grains and milling oats, we have been seeing the same term used across the board. Either prices are the same or they are down from a few weeks ago. #2 oats and feed oats pricing has been at the same level as each other for months now. Prices have been FOB Central Alberta at $3.50-3.90/bu. With buyers having limited opportunities and filling up fast. The milling oat market has been dead for 2023 with no interest coming from the U.S and other countries.
New crop barley bids delivered Lethbridge have been heard around $350-365/mt for September-December movement. New crop barley bids have dropped, and bids have dropped as much as $1/bu as feedlots backed off pricing. Old crop barley for April-May has been seen around $405/mt delivered Lethbridge. June-July pricing looks slightly higher than April-May but not by much now.
As we enter April, we only have 4 and a half months left to get the old crop moved or we might be looking at carry over from the 2022 crop year. Now is the time to access what you have left and when is the best time to move your grain before we get to harvest. Seeding is not too far away for most areas even though it does not seem like it right now with some areas in western Canada still having snow and chilly weather.
