Reading Time: 4 minutes It can seem like the ‘beef is bad’ crowd is scoring all the points in the battle to influence consumer attitudes. But the beef sector is fighting back — even if its efforts don’t get the same kind of headline-grabbing attention. One of the main initiatives is being conducted by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association that […] Read more
The behind-the-scenes effort to tell beef’s story
Besieged beef sector aims to fight hyperbole with facts
Cargill suspends shifts at Kansas beef plant after explosion
Chicago | Reuters — Cargill said Thursday it had suspended some shifts at its Dodge City, Kansas beef-packing plant after an explosion injured two employees. Cargill spokesman Daniel Sullivan said the company expects the facility to be fully operational soon and that it would meet all it customer commitments. The company is investigating the cause […] Read more
Klassen: Limited harvest progress weighs on feeder cattle
Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets were down $2 to as much as $8 in some cases. A fortuitous bounce in the barley market resulted in a softer tone for replacement cattle. It appears that the Canadian barley crop will be smaller than earlier anticipated and some of the crop will likely […] Read more
Beef webinar season starting soon
First webinar scheduled for Oct. 30
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Beef Cattle Research Council’s new webinar season is getting underway. This year’s topics range from feed testing to external parasites, and other practical, science-based information for Canadian beef producers. There are eight webinars in all and interested producers can use one registration for all eight or just the specific ones they’re interested in. The […] Read more
Canadian beef exports surge in first half of 2019
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian beef exports and cattle slaughter numbers were up and cull prices down in the first half of the year, says a provincial livestock market analyst. “Canadian beef exports for the January to July 2019 period are $1.841 billion, up 24 per cent by value from the same period in 2018,” said Jason Wood. “Export […] Read more
Rules of thumb when pricing cattle
Reading Time: < 1 minute ‘Multiply the price of a steer calf times two, and that is the price you can afford to pay for a cow.’ Does this rule of thumb still hold true? That and other common sayings in the cattle biz are the subject of a new fact sheet by Canfax. “Rules of thumb can help evaluate […] Read more
Klassen: Adverse weather tempers feeder market
Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $3-$5 lower. Excessive snow in Alberta and ongoing rains across Manitoba and Saskatchewan set a negative tone. The market appeared to incorporate a risk discount, although many auction barns had limited numbers on offer. Buyers once again focused on local cattle and avoided transportation over […] Read more
New meat recall prolongs Ryding-Regency shutdown
Ryding-Regency Meat Packers remains shut down, making an already tight processing capacity situation event more challenging for Ontario farmers. The Toronto company, along with St. Ann’s Food, announced a recall Tuesday of a long list of its products because of concerns with E. coli O157:H7. More products were added to the recall on Thursday. The […] Read more
Small cheque and big excitement for animal science students
Reading Time: 2 minutes An $18.52 cheque caused excitement among Lakeland College animal science technology students earlier this year. Students involved in the commercial beef unit of the student-managed farm received the payment in March after an animal they sold was processed through certified sustainable operations of the beef-supply chain. That triggered Lakeland’s first cheque through the Canadian Beef Sustainability Acceleration […] Read more
Klassen: Yearling prices remain firm
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets were relatively unchanged with the exception of southern Alberta where 800-plus-lb. feeders traded $5 to as much as $8 higher. Strength in deferred live cattle futures and weakness in barley prices were the main factors driving demand in the Lethbridge area. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s bullish […] Read more