Grain Demand

[seldomseen]

Never in my farming career have I seen the demand for grain so strong at harvest time.

Local elevators trying to fill trains and offering good incentives to get grain in to fill trains. First it was Canola then Barley and now oats.

Kind of strange with the big crop and all the surplus carry over and I wonder if demand is strong now what might it be like by spring?

[bucket]

Interesting my local went plugged for three weeks without train and are now focusing on canola contracts only because they are behind.

Its like putting an orifice in the water line.... just slowing down the open opportunity to move more than they budget....

Seems sort of stupid to me....good way to lose customers...

[GDR]

Lots of demand here for feed grains too, brokers texting and calling regularly. Yesterday was 4.80 feed barley picked up on farm. One user I know is short 50 loads of wheat for October. Elevators offering drying to get grain. Interesting indeed.

[Blaithin]

Interesting my local went plugged for three weeks without train and are now focusing on canola contracts only because they are behind.

Its like putting an orifice in the water line.... just slowing down the open opportunity to move more than they budget....

Seems sort of stupid to me....good way to lose customers...

Been some issues towards port as well. Big derail and then a bin collapse that has things under investigation now.

Local elevators are at the mercy of the ports and railways. Need the cars and then even if the cars get there, the ports needs to say they can take it. If they’re waiting on peas to finish loading a boat they can’t always take in all the wheat for the next boat.

It’s a logistical nightmare and while it’s a pain, I’m rather surprised it works as well as it does most of the time 😆

[bucket]

Been some issues towards port as well. Big derail and then a bin collapse that has things under investigation now.

Local elevators are at the mercy of the ports and railways. Need the cars and then even if the cars get there, the ports needs to say they can take it. If they’re waiting on peas to finish loading a boat they can’t always take in all the wheat for the next boat.

It’s a logistical nightmare and while it’s a pain, I’m rather surprised it works as well as it does most of the time 😆

In this day and age is there any reason at any elevator that a super b should have to back up to dump or split weigh?

Is there a reason for trucks to leave without a scale ticket?

Some elevators just upgraded to load trains faster but won't make it faster to unload a truck....


Yup its a functioning system made to the grain companies favour.

I shouldn't complain because the people are nice but when you drive for an hour and they cant unload in a reasonable time ....like I said in this day and age....who is really investing in the system....when you drive around looking at the snow fence that has been put up...

[woodland]

In this day and age is there any reason at any elevator that a super b should have to back up to dump or split weigh?

Is there a reason for trucks to leave without a scale ticket?

Some elevators just upgraded to load trains faster but won't make it faster to unload a truck....


Yup its a functioning system made to the grain companies favour.

I shouldn't complain because the people are nice but when you drive for an hour and they cant unload in a reasonable time ....like I said in this day and age....who is really investing in the system....when you drive around looking at the snow fence that has been put up...

Some of the mills that truckers haul to from our place are 3-6 hours to dump. If I can’t load or unload a super b in an hour something is obviously going wrong. Too bad I’m just a STO out in the bush..............

They must have much more patience than i😉

[foragefarmer]

Minn Dec $5.33 off .066 today there may be demand , but this is hardly a price to get horny about!

[WiltonRanch]

Some of the mills that truckers haul to from our place are 3-6 hours to dump. If I can’t load or unload a super b in an hour something is obviously going wrong. Too bad I’m just a STO out in the bush..............

They must have much more patience than i😉

Some feedlots are no better. I swear one I know of unloads as fast as the cows eat it. Some truckers tell me of ones where they have to break up b trains to back around corners and what not. Then there’s those you open the chutes and you drive, later to push it up with a loader. Have to admit the new G3 here is a slick setup. Bare bones outfit on staffing and unnecessary stuff but decent on shipping and receiving. Now have 3 elevators within 25 minutes, 2 of which I can say have been great to deal with. Other one is a disaster and I’ll never go back there again. Only can get screwed so many times.

[malleefarmer]

As covid fog lifts all industry will benifit demand to increase even more.

Meat processing sector here back to at a guess 90% australia wide prices for meat improvinggand demand for grain similar.

Thinking come harvest our prices will be ok. Not last years lofty drought induced prices but sort of 7.5/10 prices average over last 10 yrs.

Sometimes ya gotta be careful what ya wish for. I prfer to miss out on last 5% of prices on the way up rather than be caught on a elevator heading to ground floor onnway down

[agstar77]

As covid fog lifts all industry will benifit demand to increase even more.

Meat processing sector here back to at a guess 90% australia wide prices for meat improvinggand demand for grain similar.

Thinking come harvest our prices will be ok. Not last years lofty drought induced prices but sort of 7.5/10 prices average over last 10 yrs.

Sometimes ya gotta be careful what ya wish for. I prfer to miss out on last 5% of prices on the way up rather than be caught on a elevator heading to ground floor onnway down

As in sell into rising prices.

[Blaithin]

Some feedlots are no better. I swear one I know of unloads as fast as the cows eat it. Some truckers tell me of ones where they have to break up b trains to back around corners and what not. Then there’s those you open the chutes and you drive, later to push it up with a loader. Have to admit the new G3 here is a slick setup. Bare bones outfit on staffing and unnecessary stuff but decent on shipping and receiving. Now have 3 elevators within 25 minutes, 2 of which I can say have been great to deal with. Other one is a disaster and I’ll never go back there again. Only can get screwed so many times.

Sounds like a few around have never had to deliver to a feedlot. Weigh yourself in and out, try not to get stuck, climb up and grab a sample for them, wait in line all day, dump in a 3’ pit, set to the bins yourself or dump it on the ground or put it in a bag.... Oh, and there’s only somebody there until 4 or 5.

I was even at one once when a silage truck took out the power lines that went to the mill. Poor trucker that was dumping probably never ran so fast in his life.

Really, an elevator would have to have a LOT of really bad days and equipment breakdowns to be as bad as lots of feedlots.

Or there’s other countries. In the UK everything is an end dump and they aren’t allowed to open doors, just the slide. And they need a sock on so it doesn’t make a mess and keeps dust down.

I think there’s a large level of spoiled people used to delivering to these new terminals that take them for granted. 😂

[furrowtickler]

As in sell into rising prices.

Nice to have that option 👍

[malleefarmer]

Sounds like a few around have never had to deliver to a feedlot. Weigh yourself in and out, try not to get stuck, climb up and grab a sample for them, wait in line all day, dump in a 3’ pit, set to the bins yourself or dump it on the ground or put it in a bag.... Oh, and there’s only somebody there until 4 or 5.

I was even at one once when a silage truck took out the power lines that went to the mill. Poor trucker that was dumping probably never ran so fast in his life.

Really, an elevator would have to have a LOT of really bad days and equipment breakdowns to be as bad as lots of feedlots.

Or there’s other countries. In the UK everything is an end dump and they aren’t allowed to open doors, just the slide. And they need a sock on so it doesn’t make a mess and keeps dust down.

I think there’s a large level of spoiled people used to delivering to these new terminals that take them for granted. 😂

Am i stoopit or who ever farma spells it but feedlots we got to here are bells and whistles whole shebang, weighbriges , sampler, protein screenings just like a elevator.

I was amazed cruising aro7nd in 17 how modern new shiny proficient everything seemed in kanuck land ivwas envious hmmm. Must have been looking in wrong spots. And mind you ingot lost heaps on grid roads outvthe middle if no were. Like rolling hills ab or getting to sask3 yard

[Blaithin]

Am i stoopit or who ever farma spells it but feedlots we got to here are bells and whistles whole shebang, weighbriges , sampler, protein screenings just like a elevator.

I was amazed cruising aro7nd in 17 how modern new shiny proficient everything seemed in kanuck land ivwas envious hmmm. Must have been looking in wrong spots. And mind you ingot lost heaps on grid roads outvthe middle if no were. Like rolling hills ab or getting to sask3 yard

Feedlots can be very advanced, especially the big ones. High tech cattle handling facilities, micro systems, mill, general set up... not sure many of them are investing in systems that can take a Super B in 5 minutes though. Their goal is push cattle through fast, receiving grain fast isn’t a high priority.

Yes they have scales, yes they check protein and moisture, a few even have probe sampling, but their handling capacity isn’t as much or as quick as an elevator. It doesn’t need to be. So the trucks wait.

Similar issues arise in older infrastructure like ADM and Canada Malt in Calgary. Their malting and milling equipment is pretty efficient, but the receiving infrastructure is as old as the hills, slow, and prone to breakdowns. Lots of trucks get stuck in line those places as well. In their case it’s probably more feasible to build new than try and upgrade those facilities.

[furrowtickler]

Feedlots can be very advanced, especially the big ones. High tech cattle handling facilities, micro systems, mill, general set up... not sure many of them are investing in systems that can take a Super B in 5 minutes though. Their goal is push cattle through fast, receiving grain fast isn’t a high priority.

Yes they have scales, yes they check protein and moisture, a few even have probe sampling, but their handling capacity isn’t as much or as quick as an elevator. It doesn’t need to be. So the trucks wait.

Similar issues arise in older infrastructure like ADM and Canada Malt in Calgary. Their malting and milling equipment is pretty efficient, but the receiving infrastructure is as old as the hills, slow, and prone to breakdowns. Lots of trucks get stuck in line those places as well. In their case it’s probably more feasible to build new than try and upgrade those facilities.

Nice to hear perspectives from people like you in the grain handling business. Also from a very interesting part of western Canada 👍👍