Canada’s Cows Binge on US Corn as Homegrown Barley Feed Gets Too Steep
- Feed barley prices soar, making US corn a cheap substitute
- Canada may import up to 3 million tons in current crop year
Cows eat at a dairy farm in Howick, Quebec.
Photographer: Christinne Muschi/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Sky-high barley prices are turning Canada’s rare buying-spree of US corn into a habit.
The price of the grain used to feed cows has soared due to pent-up demand, driving cattle ranchers to turn to US corn as a cheaper substitute to domestic barley. The shift comes one year after a severe drought withered Canadian grain supplies, spurring a switch in trade flows that led the northern neighbor to become one of the biggest buyers of corn from the US Midwest.