The Premier of Saskatchewan was one of the many in attendance during a rainy first day of Ag in Motion, seven kilometres west of Langham.

Scott Moe checked out the various air seeders and the DOT Autonomous Technology.

“We are moving those air drills into other areas of the world and furthering their opportunities to be sustainable,” said Moe to a gathering of reporters. “This is the conversation that Saskatchewan and Canada can bring to the world when it comes to food security and environmental sustainability. Sharing the knowledge and innovation that we have like this drill that is behind me, driving itself.”

——

A weather and market analyst is projecting a below average canola crop, even with recent moisture.

Bruce Burnett with Glacier Farm Media says the current challenge is crop variability.

“We have a lot of crops out there that I would say are anywhere between right on schedule to pockets in the same field that are three weeks behind normal. The field just seemed to germinate at different times, depending on when the rains came.”

Burnett says the biggest challenge will be how the variability translates into yields. Another factor will be timing of the first frost.

———–

Wednesday is Beef Day at BMO Livestock Central.

Market analyst Anne Wasko says the price outlook for cow/calf producers is better now than it was during the very dry spring. June rain came to late to boost hay production, but it will help the important feed barley crop.

“At the feedlot level, it looks like we may not be a whole bunch off of last year’s feed price level in southern Alberta and that sets the price for Western Canadian calves.”

Wasko feels better about the ability of 550 pound calves to stay around the two dollar level, while a month ago, she was concerned it would be sub-two dollars.