Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canadian Beef Check-Off Agency has created a $2,000 scholarship for students pursuing post-secondary studies in agriculture, ag-business and research. Applicants need to make “a creative video no longer than two minutes, showcasing how their background in agriculture, paired with their education, can help grow the future of the beef and veal industry.” For details, […] Read more
New beef sector scholarship
Klassen: Feeder market remains firm on fed cattle strength
Alberta's disastrous wildfires may disrupt calf marketings
Compared to last week, western Canadian prices for yearlings over 800 lbs. were quoted steady to $4 higher; feeders between 600-800 lbs. were relatively unchanged while calves under 600 lbs. were $5-$10 higher. The market for calves under 600 lbs. was hard to define due to limited volumes. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle supplies remain snug
Feedlots expect significantly cheaper barley come harvest
Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $3-$4 on either side of unchanged. Premium low-flesh yearlings were one off bids $15-$20 above average. Cattle buyers commented that there were larger volumes of fleshier yearlings. Cattle with heavier butter levels were discounted from our listed values by $5 to as much as $10. […] Read more
Few winners despite big jump in cattle prices
While prices are the highest in eight years, it’s a different story when it comes to margins
Reading Time: 3 minutes Cattle prices are the highest in years, with record production despite a contracting national herd. These should be signs of health in Canada’s beef sector, but instead there’s pain throughout the value chain, says an industry expert. “The number of winners in an inflationary price environment are actually few and far between because all of […] Read more
Klassen: Positive feeding margins lift feeder complex
Futures continue percolating higher
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearlings traded steady to $5/cwt higher. Feeders in the 650- to 800-lb. category appeared to jump $4/cwt to as much as $8/cwt in some cases. Calves under 650 lbs. were up $5-$10/cwt. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle in southern Alberta on a live basis at $222/cwt f.o.b. the […] Read more
Calving and pasture capacity videos
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Beef Cattle Research Council has a pair of new how-to videos. One focuses on the carrying capacity (grazing capacity) of a pasture. It gives an overview of the four keys to grazing management, features a Saskatchewan beef producer talking about his approach, and looks briefly at how to use the Carrying Capacity Calculator developed […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market factors in lower barley prices
Strength in deferred live cattle futures also supportive
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearlings over 800 lbs. jumped $4 to as much as $10 in some cases. Steers in the 700- to 800-lb. category appeared to be up $10-$12 while similar-weight heifers were up $8-$10. Calves under 700 lbs. were up $10-$20. The feeder market was hard to define in some cases. […] Read more
JBS to pay US$25 million in latest beef price-fixing settlement
Settlement calls for co-operation in cases against other defendants
Reuters — JBS SA has agreed to pay US$25 million to commercial beef purchasers that accused the meat-packing company of conspiring with industry rivals to restrict market supply in order to keep prices artificially high. The proposed settlement in Minnesota federal court was disclosed on Friday from plaintiffs’ lawyers representing a class of businesses that […] Read more
Finding workers the No. 1 challenge for Alberta beef processors
Labour is a top concern, but so are regulations and inter-provincial trade rules, new study finds
Reading Time: 4 minutes A shortage of workers is the biggest challenge facing Alberta’s beef processing sector, says a new industry report. However, Colleen Biggs doesn’t need a report to tell her that. “We pay quite a bit more than industry average and we still can’t seem to attract employees. I think that’s a big issue,” said Biggs, who […] Read more
Klassen: Demand surges for grass cattle
Barley, corn expected to be cheaper next fall
Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $3-$4 on either side of unchanged. Certain auction markets did not have sales due to the shortened holiday week. Adverse weather also shuttered some sales on Wednesday and Thursday in the eastern Prairie region. Southern Alberta feedlots are contending with poor pen conditions which may […] Read more
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