Livestock
Reading Time: < 1 minute Agriculture Financial Services Corporation has extended the purchase deadline for Western Livestock Price Insurance Program (WLPIP) calf insurance until June 18. With the recent market volatility, Alberta Beef Producers is strongly encouraging its members to consider purchasing insurance to protect prices in the fall. Producers should be monitoring premiums and coverage levels for both calf […] Read more
Cattle producers urged to consider insurance
What was learned from BSE and what we’re learning now
Veteran producers and younger ones offer their thoughts and insights during this stressful time
Reading Time: 6 minutes Like the BSE crisis of 17 years ago, COVID-19 came without warning and pulled the ground out from underneath cattle producers almost overnight. Those who lived through those days say lessons learned from that time apply today, but there are also some important distinctions between that crisis and the pandemic. Arno Doerksen was chair of […] Read more
Olymel pork plant workers take slaughter into OT
Over 800 volunteered for added shifts with charitable twist, packer says
Workers at three Olymel hog slaughter plants in Quebec volunteered for overtime shifts over the weekend to help clear the province’s backlog of market-weight hogs, the company said Saturday. Sollio’s meat packing arm said over 800 workers at its slaughter plants at Yamachiche and St-Esprit and the former F. Menard plant it now owns at […] Read more
More ‘murder hornets’ found in B.C., Washington
Findings suggest some were able to overwinter
Reuters/Staff — Officials in British Columbia and Washington state have confirmed new sightings of the Asian giant hornet, dubbed the “murder hornet,” indicating the invasive, predatory insect survived the winter in the Vancouver area and U.S. Pacific Northwest. The stinging hornet, whose queens can grow as large as 2-1/2 inches in length, could potentially pose […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures end lower ahead of weekend
CME lean hogs mostly up
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures retreated on Friday in a profit-taking and technical selling setback ahead of the weekend amid weakening beef prices and concerns about lower-than-normal summer demand as much of the economy remains partially closed. Lean hog futures clawed back earlier losses to end mostly higher as an early drop […] Read more
HyLife buys pork packing, hog production capacity
Firm buys stake in U.S. packer, Manitoba hog farming business
Canadian hog production and pork processing firm HyLife has moved to expand its reach in North American pork packing as well as Manitoba hog farming. La Broquerie, Man.-based HyLife announced last week it has bought a 75 per cent stake in Taylor Corp.’s Prime Pork, a packing and processing operation at Windom, Minnesota, about 200 […] Read more
Tyson to shut Iowa pork plant against COVID-19 outbreak
Plant handles up to 3.5 per cent of U.S. pork output
Chicago | Reuters — Tyson Foods said on Thursday it will temporarily close an Iowa pork plant due to the coronavirus pandemic, a month after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered slaughterhouses to stay open to protect the country’s food supply. Meat processors such as Tyson, WH Group’s Smithfield Foods and JBS USA temporarily closed about […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs lower on China tensions
CME live cattle futures mostly higher
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures dropped by as much as the daily trading limit on Thursday on worries that rising tensions between Washington and Beijing could limit U.S. pork purchases by China, the world’s largest pork consumer. Sino-U.S. relations have worsened as the White House has threatened China with sanctions over its […] Read more
Carrying capacity: You gotta know if it can hold ’em
Overgrazing can really hurt productivity, so it pays to know how many cows you can put on a pasture
Reading Time: 3 minutes Struggling with finding the right amount of cattle to graze on a pasture or not sure how many cattle a new rented pasture will hold? The Beef Cattle Research Council now has a calculator to help you with that. There are four basic principles of range management: Balancing forage supply and demand; managing for uniform […] Read more
Caring for horses through the COVID-19 pandemic
A few things will change, but most of what you will need has been designated an essential service
Reading Time: 2 minutes The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the horse community as a balance is sought between optimizing human welfare and horse welfare. Many horse owners are well educated regarding the principles of biosecurity in terms of precautions and preventive measures taken to limit the spread of disease. Two powerful and effective biosecurity practices common to both the […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
