Reading Time: 5 minutes You might expect to pay $30 for a steak at a restaurant. But at the supermarket meat counter? Not so much. However, Costco customers in Madrid haven’t balked at paying those sorts of prices since the chain began carrying Canada AAA rib-eyes in November. “As a Canadian consumer walking into the grocery store, I don’t […] Read more
Here’s the beef — it’s on Costco shelves in Madrid and that’s a big win
A Canadian beef deal in Spain raises hope the battle for European access is paying off
Timing is (almost) everything when it comes to reproductive success
Pay attention to the length of your breeding season, calving distribution, and postpartum interval
Reading Time: 3 minutes Tackling reproductive failure in a beef herd starts with understanding what reproductive success looks like — and for most Alberta cattle operations, the usual measure of success doesn’t tell the whole story. “A lot of people might think, great, I got greater than 90 per cent (pregnancy rate), that might mean success,” said veterinarian Dr. […] Read more
Ontario calls off final intake for beef set-aside
'Threshold not met' for further cattle intake
Ontario has called off the last intake for its federal/provincial beef cattle set-aside program. The Beef Emergency Feed Maintenance Initiative, an AgriRecovery program launched after the temporary shutdown of Cargill’s beef slaughter plant at Guelph, was to have its “final potential intake week” opening Monday (Jan. 18), for cattle to be set aside starting Jan. […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle market in price-discovery phase
Compared to last week, Alberta feeder cattle markets were relatively unchanged while Manitoba and Saskatchewan prices were down $2 to as much as $5 in some cases. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis in the range of $248-$250, up $4-$5 from last week. Strength in the fed cattle market spilt over […] Read more
Cattle slaughter numbers down on the year
Reading Time: < 1 minute Since early April, cow slaughter in Western Canada has been below levels of 2019 and the five-year average, says a provincial livestock market analyst. As of early December, slaughter was down by more than 280,000 head — which is 25 per cent below 2019 levels and 13 per cent lower than the five-year average, said […] Read more
The right time for calving depends on your farm — and you
While many producers are calving earlier, some have gone the other way
Reading Time: 4 minutes Calving season looks different on every operation — there is no one right method or time of year to calve a cow herd. While more producers in Western Canada have moved to later calving, some have gone the other way. Here are the experiences of three ranching families. Late summer/fall calving Taralea Simpson has been […] Read more
Klassen: Higher feed grain prices continue to pressure feeders
Compared to mid-December, western Canadian yearlings traded $3-$5 lower; mid-weight calves are down $4-$6 while calves under 550 lbs. remained firm. Buyers exhibited a defensive tone on heavier yearlings and discounts were more severe on fleshier cattle last week. There is absolutely no risk appetite for 850-plus-lb. cattle at this time of year. Demand for […] Read more
Cattle set-aside programs winding down
Final enrolment deadlines set for Saskatchewan, Alberta programs
AgriRecovery programs set up in Saskatchewan and Alberta to help cover feed costs for cattle producers unable to ship livestock to slaughter are gearing down, while Ontario’s program begins a third intake. Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. announced Friday that the province’s AgriRecovery set-aside program will end March 31, 2021, with Jan. 19 now set as […] Read more
There’s a payoff ahead for the cattle sector, say industry leaders
There are fewer cows and ranchers than 10 years ago, but that may change in the coming decade
Reading Time: 4 minutes After a decade in “cow politics” — and a lifetime in the cattle sector — Bob Lowe has a pretty straightforward wish for what he’d like to see in the coming decade. “I’d like to see Canada’s beef industry get bigger,” said the Nanton rancher and feedlot operator, who is also president of the Canadian […] Read more
Sustainable beef processing expanded
Reading Time: < 1 minute Cargill will be able to source beef from farms and ranches across the country that are certified under Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef protocols. However, while the company’s processing plant in Guelph, Ont. has successfully completed certification, it was temporarily shut down on Dec. 17 after more than 80 workers contracted COVID-19. Once it is […] Read more
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