Howdy do, partner? … Best you settle in right here, right now, ‘cuz what I’m ’bout to talk to yous ’bout is gonna take some undivided attention…
Last Thursday, Michelle and I did somethin’ we’s never done before. We ventured way over yonder into the southern parts of Edmonton and took in some live country singin’… Prior to doin’ so, if I had my druthers, I’d have picked somethin’ – well, somethin’ a lil’ less country! … Now, hold up. Heavens to Betsy! Hold your horses, will ya!? … There was a time I didn’t think country singin’ ‘mounted to a hill of beans, but I’m fixin’ to tell ya… me and country music are now as sweet as beets on a southern style salad! … And unlike your malt barley, I chit you not… before the night was over, I’d swapped ends and was bullridin’ backwards, straight out’a Edmonton, and into a whole new world of country groovin’!
I reckon I’ve been sufferin’ with sciatica symptoms these past couple’a weeks, but thankfully, one of the bouncers at this here concert fetched me a stool upon our arrivin’, bless his heart. Now, if I can be honest with yous, except for havin’ a lil’ over a hundred thousand followers on Twitter, and that he likes singin’ ’bout whiskey n’ moonshine, I didn’t really know who “Luke Combs” was. Or more importantly, what he stood for… Anyhow, maybe it was his red beard, or his melodious way with words, or the amped-up energy of the crowd, but with every song he and his band belted out, I became a little different inside… I was wearin’ my cowboy hat a lil’ bit bigger; sittin’ up on my barstool a lil’ bit taller. Somethin’ was hap’nin that I couldn’t quite explain, but whatever it was, I sure was likin’ it…
Now, I don’t declare myself to be a man who’s too big for his britches (at least not ’round these parts), but after the concert was over, and though I was worn slap-out, I still must have been shootin’ some serious Timothy McGraw country-vibes from my barstool, ‘cuz, before the end of the night, I’d attracted me what y’all might call a “cougar”… I don’t blame her really. I was lookin’ strappin’ as all-get-out in my freshly acquired Agfinity Theme Song 3x beaver-blend cowboy hat.
Did I dance with her…? You kiddin’? … Michelle had her eyes on me and I knew she’d be madder than a wet hen in a hothouse if I got up from my barstool to get jiggy with some other cow gal! So, to save the little ol’ lady’s heart from unnecessary achin’, I claimed victim to sciatica and spotted her another eligible cowboy for her dance-desirin’ pleasures… But, truth be told, even without my back pain, I’m a one cowgirl kinda’ cowboy. And I’d like you to know that, Michelle! You’ve got gumption and are as pretty as a peach on pickin’ day! I count my lucky stars everyday that you said yes to being my bride twelve years ago this comin’ Sunday. Happy anniversary, baby.
… Sorry to get all mushy on y’all, but the newfound country in me is a lil’ bit romantic… Farmin’ is kinda romantic in its own way, ain’t it…? You take a bag of seed, each one smaller than a minnow in a fishin’ pond, and you pour everythin’ you got into it. You nurture it, you love on it, and the better you take care of it, the more it gives back to you! … Can’t – never could, they say. But you can, and you should!
We wish y’all the best of luck this seedin’ season! So long as the creek don’t rise and the ice pellets don’t hail, Agfinity is gonna be here helpin y’all ’til the cows come home, this year and the next, and the next!
Speakin’ of romantic things… You’re gonna fall in love with our website, it’s pricing information, and everything else there is to explore! Check it out at
And please come by for a visit on one of our social media accounts. Simply click one of the links down yonder!
It’s back!!! BBQ season is back!!!
Market Report – by Nelson Neumann
Barley:Feed barley remains a hot commodity. Strong pricing has held for the last week, hinting that this may be the top of the market. Feedlot Alley is seeing bids of $263/mt ($5.72/bu). Things to watch for is the rail delivery system sorting itself out, allowing American corn to flood the southern Alberta feed market. Stats Canada estimates an increase of 5% from 5.766 million acres to 6.059, nevertheless, the outlook for next year is still considered bullish.
Wheat: Feed wheat prices climbed over the past two weeks, perhaps as an alternative to barley. We saw $6.30/bushel bids for on farm pickup in the wheat corridor and $6.37/bushel for late June through July movement. This is an excellent opportunity to move any low protein HRS for cashflow or if you need bin space! Milling wheat also saw a rally backed in part by a lower Canadian dollar and an influx of wall street dollars migrating from stocks into commodities.
Oats: Buyers for milling oats are satiated and the market continues to remain quiet. The Stats Canada acreage report projects there to be 3.148 million acres of oats planted in 2018. This is a 2% decrease over 2017’s numbers. The market is neither bullish nor bearish.
Canola:Canola failed to react to a 7% acre decrease estimated by Stats Canada in their crop acreage report. This is probably because most experts are believing the Stats Can canola projection to be vastly underestimated and not particularly accurate for canola this year.
Peas: While we’ve all been hoping for India to remove their 50% tariff on yellow peas they’ve gone and placed a full ban effective April through June! This has caused some turbulence in yellow pea pricing. A possible overreaction, some buyer have dropped their bids by $0.75 and others are remaining unchanged. The full effect of this ban has yet to play out but expect to see prices continue their downward trend.
You know the red wax wrapping that comes on those little Babybel cheeses…? Well, the first time Nelson was offered one of these delicacies, though he questioned the peculiar colour, his trusting nature prompted him to bite into it without too much second-guessing.
Yesterday, Amy and I celebrated our 14th Anniversary! 14 years of marriage!!
And Amy says 4 of those have been the most wonderful years of her life!!
Buyers are still paying what they need to secure feed grain coverage for June-July. We’re seeing barley trade around $263MT into Lethbridge, as resellers are trying to secure their positions going into the summer, and there are equal arguments for both bulls and bears as we head into the upcoming summer feed market. Currently there is a $40/MT spread between June-July and new crop September – December bids at $223/MT delivered into feedlot alley. Feed wheat bids are not as strong, but buyers are still open to paying premiums based on certain specs, ie: protein, falling numbers.
This market is feeling more likely to come off when seeding is in full force or coming to completion, than pushing higher. However, lower barley stocks seem to be a factor as well, and, as previously mentioned, there is a lot of market uncertainty going into this summer!
“No matter who I talk to at Agfinity, you always take care of things. You guys are so great to work with!”
– James Taylor, Leslieville, AB
“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 seven 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
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