CWAD versus CWRS is a cash comparison. Canada Western Amber Durum has no liquid futures contract a Prairie farm can hedge on, so there is no durum futures price to set against a spring wheat futures price. The spread that matters is the elevator bid for durum minus the elevator bid for Canada Western Red Spring, in the same region, on the same day.
What the spread is
Spread = CWAD bid minus CWRS bid, in Canadian dollars per tonne. Positive means durum is bid above spring wheat. Negative means it is bid below.
The bids are quoted on different protein specifications. PDQ, owned by the Alberta Wheat Commission and published by Grainews, reports 1 CWAD at 13.0 protein and 1 CWRS at 13.5. That makes this a market spread between two different wheats, not a like-for-like quality comparison.
Saskatchewan CWAD and CWRS cash, 1 October 2026
Canadian dollars per tonne. Source: PDQ via Grainews. Regional averages of posted bids, not a bid for your station. Spread calculated by the Klarenbach Grain Report.
Region | 1 CWAD 13.0 | 1 CWRS 13.5 | CWAD minus CWRS |
|---|---|---|---|
Northwest Saskatchewan | 297.90 | 318.44 | −20.54 |
Southwest Saskatchewan | 296.94 | 307.56 | −10.62 |
Northeast Saskatchewan | Not posted | 311.23 | Not available |
Southeast Saskatchewan | 308.96 | 297.57 | +11.39 |
Same day, same province, and the sign of the spread flips. Durum was $20.54 under spring wheat in the northwest and $11.39 over it in the southeast. Durum bids sat within about $12 of each other across the three regions that posted. CWRS bids ranged about $21 across the same three regions. One provincial spread number would hide that. Use the two bids from your own delivery points.
Why there is no futures leg
Spring wheat has a futures reference: Minneapolis hard red spring wheat. It is a reference, not the bid. Basis, protein, grade and the delivery window sit between the screen and the elevator. Durum has no equivalent. Kansas City and Chicago wheat are related markets, not a durum price. A change in the CWAD to CWRS spread therefore reaches a farm only through cash bids. The detail is on the Saskatchewan durum prices page and the Saskatchewan CWRS prices page.
How to use the spread
Write down both bids from the same delivery points, on the same day, for the same delivery window.
Confirm grade and protein on each bid. A 13.0 durum bid and a 13.5 spring wheat bid are the quoted standards, not your bin.
Record the spread weekly. One reading says little. The direction and the extremes of your own series say more.
Read the cash spread alongside the price chart for the class you actually hold. The method is in the technical analysis guide and the prairie wheat chart guide.
Make the decision inside your marketing plan: how much is priced, at what level, and what tells you the read was wrong. The framework is in the Prairie grain marketing guide.
What the spread cannot tell you
It is not a forecast. It records where two cash bids sat on one day.
It does not capture quality discounts, buyer coverage, delivery windows or contract terms, all of which move a real bid.
It does not tell you which crop to grow. Rotation, agronomy and costs decide that.
Frequently asked questions
What is the CWAD to CWRS spread?
It is the elevator bid for Canada Western Amber Durum minus the elevator bid for Canada Western Red Spring, in the same region on the same day, in Canadian dollars per tonne.
Can I hedge the durum side of the spread?
No. Canada Western Amber Durum has no liquid futures contract a Prairie farm can hedge on. The spring wheat side relates to Minneapolis futures, but the durum side moves only through the cash bid.
Why does the spread differ between Saskatchewan regions?
On 1 October 2026 PDQ averages, durum was $20.54 per tonne under spring wheat in the northwest and $11.39 over in the southeast. Regional supply, freight and buyer coverage differ, so use your own delivery point bids rather than a provincial number.
Editorial analysis for information only. This is not individualized marketing, trading or financial advice. Prices are regional averages of posted bids and are not a bid for your delivery point.
