The feeling of “what do I do?” is very real. The feeling of not knowing what to do in life and in farming, can be overwhelming at times, with so much uncertainty in the world today. I think it can be incredibly easy to second guess every decision. I know my family is amid making some big decisions, we are constantly asking ourselves is this the right decision. The funny thing is you will never truly know until you take the leap, and by not leaping we might in fact miss out.
When change and uncertainty are upon us it can be so easy to resist or stay stuck out of fear, but the thing is, life will carry on, the seasons will change, and the markets will go up and they will go down. When faced with any decision, I often think of my father, he would always say “what’s the plan?”. I think that can be a profound thought when faced with having to decide; sticking to a plan can help reduce the fear and ease the feelings of doubt. When you lay out a plan and work toward executing it, you start to eliminate some of the outside noise. I know for my family it’s creating a schedule and planning out the tasks we want to accomplish in the coming weeks and months. I think farmers are constantly forming a plan, from what to seed to the when and the how you are going to get it done.
In life there can be so many things out of our control, but when you create the plan, it is easier to confront the challenges that arise. I think the same sentiment can be applied to selling grain, it’s easy to get caught up in the ups and downs of the market, but when you plan and execute it, the outcome often brings a sense of relief because you can now focus on something else and create a new plan.
My current mantra is “stick to the plan”, try to avoid second guessing yourself and live in the moment!
Because Farming is Forever Ashley Tompkins
Thanks a lot Melanie Alfred for this great photo!
Thank you very much Sheldon Krahn for this beautiful photo!
Market Report – Erin Harakal
Up, down, up down. You may think I am describing a yo-yo or a bouncy ball but nope that’s just the wheat and canola markets over the past few weeks. Canola was up today for the 2nd consecutive day due to stronger European rape seed markets. But palm oil and soybean futures closed the day lower. Wheat continues to drop as wheat futures are oversold. There is talk that wheat stocks are in good standings and there is a good prospect for the up-and-coming crop even though there is drought in some areas in the US. Some areas the crop has been rated very poor and those areas seem to have seen a slight improvement with some much-needed rain, but this was only a slight improvement. May 18th is the day the Black Sea deal expires, the time to extend it is slowly passing by.
Barley bids have been softening for old and new crops. Lethbridge barley bids can be seen around $405-410/mt delivered for May-June movement. As we enter the start of May there still seems to be availability for movement for the next month ahead. New crop bids for fall movement have been around $350-365/mt for September-November movement.
Oats are one commodity we get asked about a lot the last few weeks. Oats have remained flat for the last few weeks with no big changes in the market. There are still homes out there that can take them FOB Central Alberta prices range from $3.60-3.85/bu for May-June movement. We are seeing more homes for feed compared to milling and export. Oats right now are predicted to remain flat for the next few months. They say it may take till early 2024 to see an improvement in the demand.
Seller Note: Check your bins and make sure your grain is still stable! Especially your canola after the warmer weather we have experienced the last few days in Alberta.
