Livestock
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices were down $2-$4 on average. The feeder cattle market was hard to define due to limited volumes; however, prices were down $2 to as much as $6 in some cases. The Aug. 9 fire at a Tyson packing plant near Holcomb, Kansas set a negative tone for […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle falter under fed cattle uncertainty
Elanco to become No. 2 in animal health with Bayer deal
Reuters — Elanco Animal Health agreed to buy Bayer’s veterinary drugs unit on Tuesday in a cash and stock deal valued at US$7.6 billion (C$10 billion), creating the second largest maker of medicines for livestock and pets and expanding Elanco’s reach online. The deal is the latest in the fast-growing animal health market, which has […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures up on larger-than-expected weekly slaughter
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher on Monday after U.S. government data showed last week’s slaughter was bigger than the previous week’s, despite a fire that shuttered a Kansas beef plant. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated the weekly U.S. cattle slaughter through Saturday at 651,000 head, up from […] Read more
Philippines checks for swine fever as pig deaths rise
Manila | Reuters — The Philippines has set up a crisis management team to determine if the deadly African swine fever virus has reached the country after officials detected a rise in pig deaths in some areas. The Bureau of Animal Industry had reported an increased mortality of pigs “raised by farmers in their backyards” […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME hogs limit down on demand concerns
Chicago | Reuters — CME lean hog futures fell sharply on Friday, with the most-active October contract notching a limit-down move as traders worried that seasonal growth in supplies will outstrip demand. Weakness in the cash market also spilled over into the futures, traders said. The demand concerns stemmed from uncertainty about potential purchases from […] Read more
We need to let people know that raising cattle is a good thing
Junior winner in Alberta Young Speakers for Agriculture competition wants to 'bust a myth'
Reading Time: 3 minutes Ryley Mappin, 14, of Byemoor was the junior winner in the Alberta Young Speakers for Agriculture competition at the Calgary Stampede. He chose the topic: ‘Bust a myth in Canadian agriculture.’ “Oh give me a home, where the buffaloes roam, Where the deer and the antelope play, Where seldom is heard, a discouraging […] Read more
Dairy farmers to get direct cash payment as trade compensation
Canadian dairy farmers will be getting direct cash compensation after the government gave up dairy market access to other countries in recent trade deals. The compensation follows promises by the Trudeau government — and the Harper government before it — that dairy farmers would be compensated in some form for the loss of market. Why […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures sink to five-month low
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) hog futures fell to a five-month low on Thursday, pressured by big supplies that overwhelmed any optimism about news that China made its biggest purchases of U.S. pork in seven weeks, traders said. The world’s largest pork consumer bought 10,211 tonnes of U.S. pork between Aug. 2-8 […] Read more
Has the time come again for Canadian producers to go deep into sheep?
Sheep and goats are challenging beasts but they can offer a way into farming for new entrants
Reading Time: 3 minutes The revival of the small farm has created a new interest in sheep and goats. And although Canadians are not known to be big consumers of lamb, mutton or goat meat, there is a much greater demand than there is product. Canada only produces 40 per cent of the lamb needed for consumers. As the […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures mixed, hogs firm
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle futures were mixed on Wednesday, with deferred months mostly higher on bargain buying after hitting multiyear lows on Tuesday. But nearby live cattle contracts continued to weaken. The front-month contract hit its lowest level since October 2016 on expectations that the shutdown of a major beef […] Read more