Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Canada’s draft policy that would provide financial incentives to livestock producers to reduce methane from cattle aligns with the beef sector’s target to see those emissions reduced by one-third by 2030. The beef industry will have to see how well federal government proposals merge with its own efforts, which have already resulted in Canadian […] Read more
Cattle sector awaits details on methane plan
Early thinking is that federal incentives to help producers reduce cattle emissions could fit with industry targets
Klassen: Feeder market holds value despite negative margins
U.S. demand limited with colder temperatures in Midwest
Calf markets appeared to trade $2 to $3 above week-ago levels on average. Feedlot margins on current pen close-outs are negative $300 to $350 per head but replacement markets haven’t missed a beat. Finishing feedlots were once again bidding aggressively on backgrounded cattle with fleshier types experiencing limited slippage. Larger pen sized groups were on the higher end of the priced spectrum with buyers avoiding smaller packages.
Klassen: Yearling return to the lineup on strong demand
Frigid temperatures result in limited volumes
The market hasn’t missed a beat and started the year where it left in December. The only difference is there are larger supplies of yearlings coming on stream. The benchmark levels had backgrounded steers averaging 1,000 pounds trading from $280-$285/cwt with top bids rounding at $290/cwt. Steers averaging 850-pounds were averaging $300/cwt with top-notch larger groups peaking at $305.
Beef research centre wins ag tech award
Alberta’s Livestock Gentec was formed in 2010 to use genomics to help producers improve profitability and sustainability
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – An applied research centre using genomics to help beef producers sharpen their competitive edge has been honoured with a Best in Agriculture Sector Award at the ASTech Awards, which are given for technology and science innovation in Alberta. “We’re very proud that our team received that award,” said John Basarab, head of […] Read more
Klassen: Cattle producers anxious about 2024
No sales the first week of 2024 as markets assess inventory, plan strategy
The holiday break for the cattle market is analogous to an the intermission between periods of hockey game. Feedlot operators assess inventory and to focus on the market structure. They’re planning their purchase strategy for the next couple months.
Feed Grain weekly outlook: Corn, barley on level ground
High Canadian dollar behind lower corn trading
Prices for Canadian feed barley and United States corn imports reached parity as the feed grain market took a breather between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
What to consider when valuing a crop for livestock feed
Reading Time: < 1 minute Many beef producers are looking for alternative feed sources to get their cattle through the winter. Some hope to work with neighbouring farmers to obtain that feed. The question is how to value it in a way that provides value to both the farmer and the cattle producer. Buyers and sellers need to consider accessibility, […] Read more
Behind the times on bovine TB
Standard tests are inefficient and inaccurate, and that can be deadly for both cattle and humans, say researchers
Reading Time: 5 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Canada’s monitoring regimen for bovine tuberculosis is based on tests that are old, time consuming and not overly accurate, researchers say. But there aren’t any better options. “We don’t have a better test for humans either,” said one researcher, Shu-Hua Wang. Wang is a professor of medicine at Ohio State University and […] Read more
Taking the angst out of cow-calf record keeping
BCRC course designed to help cow-calf producers choose most relevant traits to track
Reading Time: 3 minutes When some beef producers see the amount of record keeping done by purebred operations or participants in VBP+, they may thank their lucky stars that they don’t have to do the same. But experts at the Beef Cattle Research Council would say that genetic record keeping doesn’t have to be cumbersome for cow-calf or commercial […] Read more
No herd rebuild seen
Reading Time: < 1 minute Though cattle prices are at record highs and there is strong demand for beef, producers have not responded with herd expansion. Ann Boyda, Alberta livestock market analyst, says the proportion of female cattle slaughter relative to total cattle slaughter has increased, making it more difficult to rebuild the herd. Over the last decade, Western Canada […] Read more
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