Canadian oats riding high with other crops

MarketsFarm — Increased demand, both domestically and overseas, has caused the price of oats grown in Western Canada to rise compared to last year. And so far, seeding projections and rising prices for other crops suggest the market for oats won’t go down anytime soon. According to Prairie Ag Hotwire data from Wednesday, high-delivered bids for oats were $3.72 per bushel in Saskatchewan, $4.35 in Manitoba and $4.55 in Alberta, all at least 55 cents higher than last year. Up to last January, Canada has exported almost 1.04 million tonnes of oats this crop year, according to the Canadian Grain Commission. This is a 25 per cent increase from 832,300 at the same point in 2020. Jenneth Johanson, who serves on the board of the Manitoba Oat Growers Association and resides near Lac du Bonnet, Man., said demand has jumped since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and has stayed at nearly the same level. Chile, she noted, has now become the second-largest importer of Canadian oats behind the ...