“Jared, can you grab cream,” Tracy asked via iMessage this morning. “It curdled.”
“Yes,” I texted back, asking myself, ‘how come everything is expiring early these days?’
“…Maybe our fridge isn’t cold enough.” Tracy said, unknowingly answering my question as I walked into the office five minutes later.
“Fridge isn’t cold enough? …Damn it all!” I said in a furious burst. And then, seeing the shocked look on Tracy and Lisa’s faces, I proceeded to defend my poor office etiquette. “I’m sorry ladies. It’s not the coffee cream I’m upset about… It’s just… It’s been an exceptionally difficult harvest this year. If things aren’t too cold, they’re too wet! Or not cold enough! I’m sick of it!!”
“We all are, Jared,” Lisa said consolingly. “But we’ve come so far to just turn our backs on harvest now.”
“Lisa’s right,” Tracy added. “Remember what that farmer said last week as he looked upon his unharvested barley crop? … ‘If it wasn’t for next year, I’d have quit 20 years ago!‘”
***
This quote will forever be etched into our memory of this difficult 2016 harvest. Things are tough right now. Actually, to paraphrase another farmer from this morning, this harvest has been a “giant cluster-*!@#.”
…Nobody is going to argue that. Not even my grandmother, who would rather I not curse under any circumstance. So what keeps us going in times like these? What pushes us from the deep, snowy, harvest time sorrow to face yesterday, today and tomorrow…?
It can only be next year. Right!?
After posting this now-famous line on our Facebook page last Friday, Hugh P, a former farm business consultant out of Camrose, agreed, ‘Best quote I’ve heard in years.’
Linda B. from Breton also attested to the quote’s validity, ‘Farming is definitely a “next year” occupation,’ she wrote.
‘Yes,’ we responded, ‘Trying to stay positive for the future is what it’s all about. Like being an Edmonton Oilers fan.’
‘Oh, but an Oilers fan is a lost cause hahaha,’ she quickly replied.
…’This crazy start to winter has affected a lot of farmers,’ Kathy D added. ‘No one was prepared for this. Even the jackrabbits are still in their summer coats.‘
… And, you know, if the jackrabbits didn’t see it coming, we can’t really blame ourselves either. Harvest may have been stolen this year, but the weather cannot steal our hope for 2017!
Wishing everyone with unharvested acres much luck in the coming weeks!
It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without grain piles, bins or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Farmer thought of something he hadn’t before.
What if harvest, he thought, doesn’t come from a field. What if harvest, perhaps, is a next-year sort of yield. “
Barley : The feed barley market gained a bit of life over the past week with buyers struggling to secure spot movement loads. Pricing into further months has followed suit with about a nickel carry per month into the new year and later winter. Uncooperative weather across Alberta and Saskatchewan has delayed or halted harvest for many producers. We’ve been hearing from producers that there is still a good percentage of barley crop unharvested. Warmer temperatures ahead could give producers another shot at combining to get the remaining crop off in the coming days. In the meantime, if your barley is harvested and ready to load, this is a great pricing opportunity!
Wheat: As with the barley crop, much of the central Alberta and Saskatchewan wheat crop is still in the field supporting earlier predictions of a shortage of high quality wheat. Wheat that is unharvested will most likely end up in the feed market once it’s off due to frost, snow and rain exposure. Premiums anticipated for milling wheat in the months ahead. Know the vomi, fusarium and ergot levels in your wheat as buyers are asking. Seeing some spot premiums for feed wheat that won’t last long.
Oats: There are good opportunities for moving 2 and 3CW oats. Still seeing up to $3.05 bu delivered central Alberta for high quality 2CW oats with good colour. Good movement and pricing for lower quality 2’s and 3’s as well. Send us your samples or text us a picture so we can shop your oats around.
Canola: P ressured by the poor harvest weather, canola prices have recovered as of late, and will likely remain in bullish conditions while harvest waits. Delivered local and crush plant bids above $10.50/bu and pushing toward $11/bu.
Peas: Green pea bids up 25 cents per bushel based 3% bleached or less. Homes available for higher bleached and are discounted accordingly. Yellow peas still on par or slightly under green pea pricing. We have buyers who can take delivery on yellow peas if you are looking for movement before the new year. If you have feed peas please give us a call! We have quite a few buyers looking right now.
Send us your samples!
Mail to: 3-5400 50 Street, Stony Plain, AB T7Z 1B7
The Buyer Brief – Jared Seitz, filling in for Joseph Billett
What…? There’s actually demand…? Buyers are looking to buy grain again!! With many yards unfit to load grain in this weather, multiple buyers are on the hunt for grain that can load short notice. This has rallied the spot market, and has also breathed life into this year’s market outlook.
While there still might end up being more feed than the market can handle this year, most buyers aren’t willing to venture too much further into winter without a reasonable amount of harvested, loadable grain on the books. If you have grain in the bin, it’s an excellent time to put out an offer!
…Maybe chuckling at other’s misfortunes will help you feel better about this year’s harvest. Here’s an October 2016 Fails Compilation!
CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
“Other buyers call me, and I always tell them that the best service I get is from Agfinity, and that you guys are who I market my grain through.”
– James Thompson, Millet, AB
“Most of our marketing decisions are based off of your newsletter! We really appreciate you sending it out!”
– Phillip & Glenda Collinge, Lloydminster, SK
“I really like the personal touch in the newsletter! Thanks for sending that out!” – Jim Majeski, Camrose, AB
“I really enjoy working with you guys and the transparent service you provide!”
– Kurt Boese, Neilburg, SK
“For the past five years I’ve been dealing with the Agfinity group and what a fantastic group of people they are. From number 1 to feed grain and canola. All the buyers at Agfinity can Make it happen. Fast turn around times on every thing. Movement, payment, and the inbetween that all of us farmers don’t see or care about. Good job to the Agfinity crew and keep on buying our grain.”
– Drann Hogg, Huxley, AB
“Thanks for continuing to send out a newsletter. I read right through it every time, and look forward to crop price updates.”
– Orest Hulowski, Perryvale, AB
“Enjoy reading your newsletter and price updates keep them coming, good job.”
– Peter L .Gross, Standard, AB
Have a testimonial we can share?
Just email us and say something nice about what we do. 🙂
