Reading Time: 4 minutes There’s no sugar-coating it — 2021 was a tough year. “The one thing you know when you’re an agricultural producer is the weather is the No. 1 thing,” said Bob Lowe, owner of Bear Trap Feeders in Nanton and president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. “We’re probably all familiar with droughts, it’s just the size […] Read more
In very difficult times, individuals and governments stepped up
Hay West lifted people’s spirits and the fast rollout of emergency aid prevented a much bigger cull
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle, lean hogs dip on regulatory concerns
Biden proposal seen improving producers' cut of price
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures eased on Tuesday, pressured by new federal efforts to address a lack of competition in the U.S. meat processing sector. The initiative, announced by U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday, includes funding for more independent meat processors, strengthening enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act, […] Read more
VBP+ gets federal funding boost
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) program has been given a $200,000 federal grant for development of a web portal and an app for remote audits. The initiative will help the cattle sector’s efforts to show that beef is sustainably produced here. “It is more important than ever to raise awareness of the beef industry’s […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market has positive factors
There were no feeder cattle sales last week due to the holiday season; however, this didn’t stop many cow-calf producers from inquiring about the market outlook for 2022. This past year was one for the record books. There is no doubt about it. Waves of COVID-19 caused beef demand to be quite volatile from month […] Read more
Biden unveils plan to boost competition in U.S. meat industry
Reuters — The United States will issue new rules and US$1 billion in funding this year to support independent meat processors and ranchers as part of a plan to address a lack of “meaningful competition” in the meat sector, President Joe Biden said Monday. The initiative comes amid rising concerns that a handful of big […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Nearby CME live and feeder cattle futures ease
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures eased on Monday, remaining near recent highs as back-month contracts climbed to new highs on expectations of tighter supplies to come. CME February live cattle futures settled down 0.775 cent at 138.925 cents/lb., though back-month contracts starting with August 2022 found new life-of-contract highs (all […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures drop on profit-taking; lean hogs fall
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell on Thursday on profit-taking after a previous session rally resulted in several contracts hitting new highs, traders said. CME February live cattle settled down 0.750 cent at 139.975 cents per pound. Feeder cattle futures, which were supported by a slump in Chicago corn futures, […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME livestock futures rise on supply concerns
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange livestock futures climbed on Wednesday, as cash cattle prices firmed on concerns around meat supplies to meet anticipated demand going into next year, traders said. Cattle futures ended higher, as beef carcass cutout prices continued to firm and cash cattle traded higher, traders said. Cash cattle traded at […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures rise on expectations of beef demand; hogs ease
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures finished higher on Tuesday, as slaughter rates increased and carcass cutout values continued to firm, traders said. There is an expectation of beef prices continuing to firm and demand be strong going into the first quarter of 2022, said Doug Houghton, analyst with Brock Capital Management. […] Read more
Vaccination survey closing soon
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Beef Cattle Research Council is asking cow-calf producers in Western Canada to take 15 to 20 minutes to fill out a survey on vaccinations. The survey is conducted periodically to gauge the level of vaccinations and what producers are vaccinating for. It is part of an “extension initiative to optimize strategic vaccinations in beef […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
