For the past several years, my spring and summer have gone like this: spring arrives, and with a renewed sense of purpose and ambition, I embark on an overzealous journey of renovation, growth, and budget annihilation. Then, halfway through summer, I’m exhausted, physically, mentally and financially… It’s a great cycle, and there’s no wonder why I do it year after year!
I’ve been told my ideas, though inspiring, are often grandiose, over-the-top, mission impossible ideas…
Yes, I bite off more than I can chew. But, I know if I take enough bites, I eventually get through it; not unlike a bag of one-bite brownies… In retrospect, perhaps this analogy is the reason I sometimes find myself gasping for air mid-project and drowning in a self-flooded sea of uncertainty.
My most recent spring reno-dream came while visiting the Full House Lottery show homes in Edmonton this May. Each home was arguably nicer than mine, but what really stuck out were their oversized, functional boot rooms. Our home has a small boot room attached to a separate small laundry room. For the last 8 years, it has pained me to hear Michelle tripping over our shoes while carrying laundry baskets to and fro’.
Enough was enough, I thought, fuming with boot-room-envy, “Why don’t we move our laundry to the basement?”
And, alas, the idea was born! A few nights later, a couple plumber
friends were inspecting the drywall I’d cut open to reveal the extra drain and water lines Michelle and I had installed when building the home. By May long, everything needed for bringing water in and out of a washing machine was rigged-up and ready to go!
I was feeling great! The first phase of the big boot room / big laundry room project was underway. I even texted my parents and brother about it!
I was now ready to get the laundry units down, and that meant getting the wall back up! A short while later, and a few extra bucks out of pocket, the wall was repaired and ready for paint.
This past Sunday, I was partway through a second coat when my mom and dad called. They were passing through Spruce Grove and remembered I needed a hand moving the washer and dryer downstairs. How thoughtful! I had just finished painting that side of the basement, so their timing couldn’t have been better.
After getting the units down, and the washing machine only nearly crushing my dad once, the three of us stood shoulder to shoulder and admired the results of my latest spring brainchild.
“This looks great, Jared. It looks like it’s always been there! … What are your plans for running wire for a 220 plug?” “Umm… Can’t I just switch the current plug with a dryer plug…?” “If you want your house to burn down you can… But otherwise, you need to run it on 220.”
To the vast majority, this was obviously something that needed to be done before repairing the drywall. But I was so focused on completing the job, I did it out of order and failed to ask the necessary questions ahead of time… Once again, my dad rose to the occasion and helped me run the wire and hook up both machines the next day.
… A success story…? In many ways, yes. But there was a cost to this renovation that hurt more than just my bank account. I absorbed an unnecessary amount of stress, which I passed on to my family, friends and workplace along the way. My dad also cut his hand mid-project when taking a rusty utility knife to one of the cord covers, and after leaving our place, waited at the hospital till midnight for a tetanus shot… And if that wasn’t enough, my nicely finished walls now have cord covers running along the ceiling, which my dad refers to as “expensive staples”.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. But, when the will is so focused on finding its way out, it might overload the breaker in the process… And the way it ends up taking might not only be a few wrong turns, but a few signed cheques, bruised egos, and trips to Home Depot and/or the hospital too.
… How are we to accomplish anything by worrying and hurrying all the time? When we live this way, we’re like wind-whipped waves, adrift at sea, all options open, looking every which way but up.
Life… farming… they’re long for a reason. And all that pressure you feel, day in and day out, it’s most likely not going anywhere anytime soon. But, even when we lack peace of mind, something we usually have on our side is time. Time and stillness… When was the last time you proactively sat on your hands and waited to see how things played out…?
If it doesn’t rain again today, it might tomorrow. Or maybe the next day. In the meantime, keep trudging along, and in the right order, please! You’re going to find yourself at another harvest before you know it!
Enjoy the journey!
Enjoy the summer!
We know you have the will! And we know you’re on your way!
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Market Report – by Nelson Neumann
Barley: Farmers who bit the bullet and sold at less than their target prices are breathing a sigh of relief as feed barley prices continue to tumble. Many large feedlots are covered until harvest. New crop pricing has also slipped although its mild compared to the old crop price drop. As we approach harvest, watch for the old crop price to move towards the September/October bids indicating that the price will continue to trend downwards. One ray of sunshine for sellers holding barley is the poor pasture and hay conditions throughout the prairies, which will likely contribute to more feed demand over the summer.
Wheat: The wheat markets across the board took a shellacking! The heavyweights of the global economy have gone toe to toe, causing great uncertainty in the market; and markets rarely respond positively to uncertainty. Canadians were hit extra hard as Japan and South Korea suspended all trade because of GMO wheat found in Southern Alberta. Japan imports 1.5 million MT a year. South Korea has resumed trade after arduous tests provided no evidence of GM wheat in commercial shipments. Expect Japan to follow suit shortly. As feed barley aggressively slid, the feed wheat market appeared to be quite sticky, but we are now seeing it follow suit. This may be a good time to clean out your feed wheat!
Oats: What else is there to say about the milling oats market? Milling buyers remain quiet and the price flat. It is expected to remain steady throughout the summer until harvest. Good news is that conditions for many oat growers are considered good. On Friday, Stats Canada is releasing their report which is something to look toward for future pricing trends.
Canola:The canola market is doing quite well relative to wheat and the soybean complex. It is down overall but didn’t get hammered nearly as hard. The sliding Canadian dollar sliding has been a life preserver! Key things to look for are, as always, the global trade war, as well as potential crusher shutdowns as margins are being squeezed to a near two-year low.
Peas: Pea pricing has remained steady over the past two weeks with feed pea pricing softening in tandem with other feed grains. A key factor to watch is the Indian import tariffs. The initial restriction was due to lift on June 30th, but it is certainly expected that it will be extended. Currently, there aren’t any signs of India coming back to the global market this summer, but in September, lower then expected yields will likely force them to reconsider.
Lower spot demand seems to be one of the drivers pressuring the cash barley and wheat prices down. Many buyers have fairly strong coverage to get them to harvest. Feedlot numbers are also transitioning lower going into the summer months and many plans are being executed based on the theory of much lower precipitation than we have seen, which extends the longevity of the grain feeders have bought. Second cuts of hay and silage are now back on the menu for feeders’ rations. Buyers are buying as needed and are wanting to secure new crop tonnage, but are very price-conscious right now.
Sellers take note: Selling old crop and cleaning out bins is important to the seller and buying new crop into a position is important to the buyer. Why not let us help you do both? If you have limited grain left to market and are undersold on new crop, post it up on Agfinity.com and let us chase the market and get you the best opportunity. You can’t hit the ball if you don’t swing the bat!
Let us know your thoughts and check out the pricing below!
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– James Taylor, Leslieville, AB
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– James Thompson, Millet, AB
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“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
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