Canada farm product prices extend canola gains in August as cattle prices ease

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Canada farm prices in August

Highlights

Canola prices rose for a seventh straight month in August, with Saskatchewan up 6.6% and Alberta up 4.0%, supported by robust biofuel demand and higher crush volumes.
Wheat prices, excluding durum, increased 1.8% in Manitoba and 1.4% in Saskatchewan, as U.S. supply concerns boost Prairie price trends.
Slaughter cattle prices posted their first monthly decline after six months of gains, while hog prices rose in most provinces, led by 2.3% increases in Nova Scotia and British Columbia.

Prairie crop prices reflect demand and supply shifts

As reported by Statistics Canada, monthly provincial prices received by farmers in August are now available for grains, oilseeds, specialty crops, cattle, hogs, poultry, eggs and dairy products.

Canola prices rise for the seventh straight month in the Prairie provinces and post a second consecutive year-over-year gain in August. Saskatchewan, up 6.6%, and Alberta, up 4.0%, lead the monthly increases as continued strong demand for biofuels supports prices. Compared with August 2025, Saskatchewan, up 16.5%, and Manitoba, up 15.7%, record the largest gains, partly because of higher canola crush volumes than in the same month a year earlier.

Wheat prices, excluding durum, also increase across the Prairie provinces in August, with gains ranging from 1.8% in Manitoba to 1.4% in Saskatchewan. Unfavourable growing conditions in wheat-producing areas in the U.S. strain production outlooks and support the upward trend.

Lentil prices, however, fall from the previous month in Alberta and Saskatchewan, the two main producing provinces, with Alberta down 5.6%. On a year-over-year basis, both provinces post double-digit declines, led by Saskatchewan at 19.2%, as competition from Australian lentils and surplus from the 2025/2026 crop year put downward pressure on prices.

Livestock markets show mixed momentum across provinces

Livestock prices move in different directions in August, with slaughter cattle prices decreasing across all provinces from July. Statistics Canada says this is the first month-over-month decline after at least six consecutive months of increases in all provinces except Alberta and Quebec.

Despite strong beef demand in August, a higher supply of slaughter cattle and heavier carcass weights put downward pressure on prices. Compared with a year earlier, slaughter cattle prices still increase across Canada, except in Quebec, supported by firm beef demand.

Slaughter hog prices continue to rise across provinces except Alberta and Manitoba, although the pace is slower than in the previous two months. Nova Scotia and British Columbia each post a 2.3% monthly increase, while higher exports of live slaughter hogs to the U.S. in August might have supported prices.

In our earlier article on the Baltic push for an EU-wide ban on Russian grain transit, we covered how Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia urged the bloc to curb shipments moving through EU ports as flows shifted away from Black Sea routes. We also noted that the proposal was framed as part of a broader effort to tighten sanctions pressure on Russia’s agricultural interests, potentially reshaping regional grain logistics and supply expectations for European markets.

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