Compared to last week, western Canadian yearlings were $2-$3 higher; calf prices were $2 to as much as $4 higher; calves under 600 lbs. were $4 to as much as $10 higher in some cases. February and April live cattle futures appear to be incorporating a risk premium due to the uncertainty in beef production […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle edge higher on improving margins
Feed testing is a luxury you can’t afford to miss out on this winter
The first step is to get representative samples — and that can be trickier than it sounds
Reading Time: 4 minutes Just like you can’t always tell if your cattle are healthy by looking at them, you can’t see the quality of your feed at first glance. Luckily, feed testing can help you manage both. “The nutrition program is almost always the culprit when things just aren’t quite right,” said Karin Schmid, research and production manager […] Read more
Ryding-Regency’s federal beef packing licenses cancelled
Citing “false or misleading information” given them during an E. coli probe, food safety officials have now permanently pulled the federal slaughter, processing and export licenses for Toronto’s Ryding-Regency Meat Packers and related companies. The cancellation, announced Monday, indefinitely prolongs what was already described as “critical processing capacity shortage” for the province’s cattle producers, leaving […] Read more
EU lawmakers clear U.S. beef imports but fault U.S. tariffs
Brussels | Reuters — European Union lawmakers approved an increase in U.S. beef imports to the EU on Thursday, a move likely to ease transatlantic tensions. But they also criticized tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on metal imports and a threat he has made to target EU cars and car parts. The European […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle market drops on soft demand
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets were down $4-$6 while calf prices dropped $5 to as much as much as $10 in some cases. Comments from order buyers reflect very sluggish demand for this time of year. Ontario farmers have harvested about 50 per cent of the corn crop and buying interest from […] Read more
Klassen: Challenging weather influencing feeder market
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices were relatively unchanged; calves appeared to trade $3 lower to as much as $5 higher. Weather conditions have played a larger role in the price structure this fall. Major finishing feedlots continue to focus on preconditioned calves and have left the unweaned or unvaccinated feeders to the […] Read more
Brazil Amazon deforestation soars to 11-year high
Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil | Reuters — Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest rose to its highest in over a decade this year, government data on Monday showed, confirming a sharp increase under the leadership of right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro. The data from Brazil’s INPE space research agency, which showed deforestation soaring 29.5 per cent […] Read more
New grazing lease plan a win for producers, say cattle groups
The groups feared long-frozen rental rates would be seen as a subsidy and lead to a countervailing duty
Reading Time: 3 minutes Grazing leases are about to change for the first time since 1994 after years of work by Alberta Beef Producers and the seven grazing lease associations in the province. The quarter-century-old system could have attracted potential tariffs on Canadian cattle, so the changes were necessary, said Rich Smith, executive director of Alberta Beef Producers. “The […] Read more
Dorian swept swimming cows two miles to North Carolina beach
Cape Lookout National Seashore, N.C. | Reuters — Three cows have been spotted beachcombing on a remote barrier island on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, swept to an unlikely grazing spot when Hurricane Dorian whipped waves powerful enough to carry them two miles from their home. One of the bovine bodysurfers was seen soon after the […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs rally on technical buying, rising pork prices
Chicago | Reuters – U.S. lean hog futures rose by as much as 3 percent on Tuesday on technical buying and short-covering, and as hopes for expanded pork exports to China more than offset pressure stemming from ample U.S. hog supplies, traders said. Rising pork prices and strong meatpacker margins gave the market further support […] Read more