Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $3-$5 lower while calves and grassers traded within $5 on either side of unchanged. Calves were extremely variable with similar weight cattle sometimes trading $6-$8 apart at the same sale. Supplies of calves coming on the market appear to be lower than last year. This may […] Read more
Klassen: Calves remain firm while yearlings falter
Ontario offers cash for abattoir upgrades
Applications now being accepted through April
Ontario’s 123 provincially-licensed abattoirs can now start applying for a piece of $2 million in federal/provincial funding to step up food safety, biosecurity and animal welfare measures. The Ontario and federal governments on Wednesday announced applications for cost-share funding can be submitted between now and April 30, “as long as funding for the initiative is […] Read more
Klassen: Calf prices divorce from yearling markets
Compared to last week, yearling prices were steady to as much as $4 lower depending on the region in Western Canada. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle at an average price of $252 on a dressed basis, down $6-$8 from last week and down about $20 from the last week of January. Weakness in fed […] Read more
Klassen: Uncertain beef demand weighs on feeder market
Compared to last week, western Canadian prices for yearling and heavier calves were down $2-$4 on average. The calf market was hard to define; Alberta markets traded $3 lower to $4 higher but notable strength was evident in Saskatchewan and Manitoba where values were steady to $4 higher. Favourable weather contributed to higher auction market […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market remains under pressure
Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle prices were steady to $3 lower in Alberta while prices eroded by $2-$5 in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Noticeable weakness was evident in yearling prices, while grass cattle experienced limited slippage. Backgrounding operators are starting to liquidate fall-placed calves. Quality was quite variable, with fleshier cattle experiencing sharper […] Read more
New sustainable beef videos
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef has a quartet of new videos on its YouTube channel, including one in which producers talk about their definition of sustainability. The roundtable also has new videos on the certification process and the principles of beef sustainability, both in terms of efficiency and in food production. The videos can […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market lacks buying interest
Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $2-$5 lower on average. Values in Alberta were relatively unchanged but markets in the eastern Prairie regions appeared to trade $4 to as much as $6 below week-ago levels. Alberta yearlings were relatively unchanged, but noticeable slippage was noted in the non-major feeding regions. Feedlots […] Read more
The Big Squeeze: Alberta cattle sector struggling to get ahead
In this tight-margin business, a host of smaller factors pull down profitability
Reading Time: 5 minutes Alberta’s cattle industry may not be facing another near-fatal blow like BSE, but it’s hemorrhaging all the same. And this time, it’s a death by a thousand cuts, says a new study. Government regulations. Global trade wars. Rising land prices and ever-higher costs. Drought. Feed shortages. Head taxes and exclusion zones. There’s not one single […] Read more
Virus concerns add more uncertainty to cattle market
MarketsFarm — Cattle futures in Chicago dropped hard over the past few days, as mounting concerns over the new coronavirus in China triggered a broad-based selloff in global equities and commodities. While the virus adds an extra layer of uncertainty to the North American cattle market, expectations for solid beef demand should remain supportive for […] Read more
Namibia looks to import cattle as drought decimates herds
Windhoek | Reuters — Namibian state-owned meat processing and marketing firm Meatco is in talks with neighbour Botswana to import cattle, as severe drought decimates local herds and threatens beef export deals with China and European countries. The southern African desert nation moved closer to famine last month after dam levels fell below 20 per […] Read more