Reading Time: 3 minutes Demand for lamb continues to grow — and the sheep sector continues to struggle to meet it. In fact, if more fresh Canadian lamb was available, demand would be growing even faster, says the managing director of the North American Lamb Company, the biggest player in the sector. “With a bit of marketing and new […] Read more

Sheep industry starts new organization to tackle challenges
Alberta lamb producer chairs the newly formed National Sheep Network

India offers U.S. dairy, chicken access in bid for elusive trade deal
New Delhi/Washington | Reuters — India has offered to partially open up its poultry and dairy markets in a bid for a limited trade deal during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first official visit to the country this month, people familiar with the protracted talks say. India, the world’s largest milk-producing nation, has traditionally restricted dairy […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs edge up on hopes for Chinese demand
April live cattle up on short-covering
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures rose modestly on Thursday on technical buying and hopes China will step up purchases of U.S. agricultural goods including pork as the U.S.-China Phase One trade deal takes effect, brokers said. Benchmark April lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange settled up 0.3 cent at 64.075 […] Read more

Bovine brucellosis abortion screening pilot
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and participating Canadian Animal Health Surveillance Network laboratories are conducting a pilot project to improve Canada’s bovine brucellosis surveillance. Blood and tissue samples related to reproductive issues in cattle submitted to participating network laboratories during this time may be tested for brucellosis at a CFIA laboratory. Brucellosis is a contagious […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle rise on broad commodity strength
Nearby hogs down on weak cash values
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed higher on Wednesday, bouncing off a four-month low on bargain buying along with broad-based strength in equity and commodity markets as fears subsided about the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in China. The benchmark April live cattle futures contract on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) […] Read more

North American hog markets wracked by coronavirus
MarketsFarm — Besides shutting down entire cities and killing more than 1,000 people, China’s novel coronavirus outbreak has wreaked havoc on North America’s hog futures. “It’s a dubious relationship, but it is impacting markets,” said Tyler Fulton, risk management director for Hams Marketing Services in Winnipeg. Lean hog futures moved “in concert with drops in […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle sag on weaker cash trade
Coronavirus jitters also rattle cattle markets
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. live cattle futures fell on Tuesday, with the benchmark April contract touching its lowest since late September on falling cash cattle prices and worries about the impact of the coronavirus outbreak in China, traders said. Cash cattle traded lightly in Kansas and Nebraska at $119-$120 per cwt, traders said, down […] Read more

How JBS became collateral damage in a war between billionaires
JBS now plans to tweak U.S. IPO, executive says
Sao Paulo | Reuters — A business dispute between the disgraced billionaire Batista brothers in Brazil and the heir to an Indonesian pulp and paper fortune is throwing a wrench in meatpacker JBS SA’s plans to for a U.S. listing of its international operations, such as its Canadian beef plant. The dispute stems from a […] 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

U.S. livestock: Live cattle, hogs slip on concerns over export demand
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures closed lower on Monday as optimism over export demand began to cool, and live cattle futures fell as pressure from slumping cash prices continued to weigh on the market, traders said. Benchmark April lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) settled down 1.175 cents at […] Read more