Livestock
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. lean hog futures touched a two-month low on Friday as meat packers slaughtered more pigs to profit from high margins. Pork processors killed an estimated 485,000 pigs, up 1,000 from a week earlier and 20,000 from a year ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. They are projected to slaughter […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs reach two-month low on increased slaughter
U.S. livestock: Hogs reach two-month low
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures fell to a two-month low on Thursday on large supplies and uncertainty over negotiations to boost trade with China, the world’s top pork consumer. Traders and meat producers are hoping for further U.S. pork sales to China, which is grappling with a fatal pig disease that has […] Read more
Some feeds can be too easy to digest for horses
The mechanics of nibbling, chomping and crunching are important to horse health
Reading Time: 3 minutes There is a harmonic resonance that is audibly evident when a horse chews. This chewing sound soothes, calms and contents the nervous system of the horse, and most horse owners would agree that it also soothes the nervous system of the human. There are many reasons chewing is an important part of a horse’s life […] 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: Hogs drop on large supply, trade war jitters
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. livestock futures dropped on Wednesday, with lean hogs stumbling under pressure from large supplies in a turnaround from a rally a session earlier. Fresh uncertainty over U.S.-China trade relations added pressure to the hog market, analysts said. Traders and meat producers are hoping for further U.S. pork sales to China, […] Read more
Bloc Quebecois president tapped as party’s ag critic
The Bloc Quebecois will head into the House of Commons next month with a new critic handling the agriculture portfolio. Bloc leader Yves-Francois Blanchet has named Yves Perron, the rookie MP for Berthier-Maskinonge, as the party’s critic for agriculture, agri-food and supply management. As the Bloc’s ag critic, Perron replaces Mirabel MP Simon Marcil, who […] Read more
Stubble grazing presents nutrition issues for cattle
Reading Time: < 1 minute If you’re turning cows out in stubble fields or allowing them to graze slough hay or mature hay along fences and headlands, there are nutritional factors to consider, says a provincial forage specialist. Straw, chaff and overmature grass hays are typically low in protein, energy, calcium and magnesium, but relatively high in phosphorus, said Barry […] Read more
Brazil gets approval for 13 meatpacking plants for China exports
Sao Paulo | Brazil | Reuters – Chinese authorities approved new Brazilian meat exporting plants on Tuesday, according to the Brazilian agriculture ministry, a highly anticipated move as the two nations continue to strengthen trade ties. The approvals come as China seeks to increase meat imports to compensate for the death of around half of […] 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