Livestock
Copenhagen | Reuters — Denmark’s government said on Friday it wants to dig up mink that were culled to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, after some resurfaced from mass graves. Denmark ordered all farmed mink to be culled early this month after finding that 12 people had been infected by a mutated strain of […] Read more
Denmark wants to dig up ‘zombie mink’ that resurfaced from mass graves
China’s coronavirus testing chokes beef trade
Additional inspections, disinfections costly for importers
Beijing | Reuters — In a supermarket in downtown Beijing, refrigerator shelves normally filled with steak from around the world sit empty as tougher testing for the novel coronavirus creates supply bottlenecks and raises prices for importers. Fresh supplies of beef won’t arrive for days, a salesman at the Suning.com-owned Carrefour outlet told Reuters — […] Read more
You can’t beat the view
Reading Time: < 1 minute It doesn’t get much prettier than this classic Alberta scene. This photo by Michael Moskaluk was taken in late October at the Elkhorn Stock Ranch in the Willow Valley.
When it comes to equipment, it’s best to be like a Boy Scout
Beef 911: ‘Be prepared’— maintain equipment and having a backup plan
Reading Time: 3 minutes We all spend lots of time in animal health using equipment to administer vaccines, giving implants, weighing cattle, handling cattle, and administering pain control. In the veterinary world, we use surgical instruments, semen ejaculators, ultrasounds for diagnosis of reproductive things to internal problems and other equipment ranging from tubing devices to esophageal feeders to calf […] Read more
Canada’s mink farms brace for COVID
Producers have had time to increase biosecurity efforts at the farm level
Canada’s 40 mink farms are operating under heightened biosecurity requirements after reports of COVID-19 jumping from humans to mink in Europe. Alan Herscovici, an industry spokesperson who operates the website Truthaboutfur.com, said early reports out of Denmark and other European countries gave Canadian producers some time to prepare. “These farms have always had a certain […] Read more
Participants wanted for dairy cost study
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta dairy farmers are wanted for the 2021 edition of the Dairy Cost Study. The pandemic has affected dairy producers, said provincial research analyst Pauline Van Biert. “For the dairy farmer, demand for milk production has fluctuated as processors made adjustments to meet changes in the marketplace,” she said. Participants in the study will receive […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle up on cash market optimism, beef demand
Hogs up ahead of USDA exports report
Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures rose on Wednesday for a fourth straight session, climbing ahead of Thursday’s U.S. Thanksgiving holiday as strong packer margins fed expectations of improving cash cattle prices over the next few weeks, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange February live cattle futures settled up 0.225 cent at 114.175 cents/lb. (all […] Read more
ASF virus is deadly but the fallout from an outbreak even worse
Health officials can deal with an African swine fever outbreak, but not its huge market disruption, says top expert
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s a nightmare scenario — but if African swine fever arrived in Canada, the economic consequences would be much harder to deal with than the virus itself. “African swine fever is a big problem with very big challenges,” Dr. Egan Brockhoff said during a recent virtual presentation. “Big is an understatement. This is a global […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures follow beef prices, Dow higher
Chicago lean hogs end mixed
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures closed higher on Tuesday for a third straight session, lifted by surging wholesale beef prices and optimism that coronavirus vaccines could trigger an economic recovery, bolstering demand for meat, traders said. Wall Street’s Dow Jones industrial average hit a record high above 30,000 on upbeat COVID-19 vaccine news, […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market incorporates risk discount
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices were unchanged; however, calves weighing 550 to 800 lbs. traded $3-$5 lower. The market for calves under 550 lbs. traded $5 lower to $3 higher. Early in the week, prices were showing some strength in the lighter weight categories but buying enthusiasm waned from Wednesday through Friday. […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
