Livestock
Reading Time: 2 minutes A new State of Canada’s Birds report shows the beef sector plays a critical role in protecting the country’s highly threatened grassland bird species, says the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. “The CCA has long advocated for enhanced protection of the Great Northern Plains, an endangered grasslands ecosystem, from further encroachment,” the cattle organization said in its […] Read more
Protect grasslands — and buy range-fed beef — says bird report
Two-thirds of birds that breed and winter in grasslands have been lost, says State of Canada’s Birds report
Bayer, Elanco said aiming to reach animal health deal next week
Reuters — Germany’s Bayer and U.S. drug firm Elanco Animal Health aim to reach an agreement to combine their animal health businesses as soon as next week, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Elanco plans to pay for at least a part of the deal with its stock and any deal […] Read more
Sausage-loving Germans chew over meat tax plan
Berlin | Reuters — German lawmakers on Wednesday proposed raising the sales tax on meat to help protect the climate and improve animal welfare, kindling a debate in a country renowned for its love of sausages. Meat in Germany benefits from a reduced value added tax rate of seven per cent, and the idea is […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs tumble on worsening U.S.-China trade ties
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures fell sharply on Tuesday as growing tensions between Washington and Beijing fueled worries about U.S. pork exports. China, the world’s largest hog and pork market, has threatened to halt all purchases of U.S. agricultural products after U.S. President Donald Trump announced he would slap […] Read more
Watch for nitrate accumulation in hailed-out crops
There’s extra value in a salvage crop this year, but nitrates are a risk in crops such as canola and wheat
Reading Time: 2 minutes The issue of nitrate accumulation needs to be considered when salvaging hailed-out crops. “Nitrate accumulation occurs in a plant when it is injured and is not able to convert nitrate to protein efficiently after a hail storm,” said provincial beef and forage specialist Barry Yaremcio. “In non-legume crops, water and nutrients are pushed into the […] Read more
Who has benefited from the shift to heavier cattle?
The move to larger animals began decades ago but was driven by packers, not consumers and ranchers
Reading Time: 3 minutes I had given a century-old Stockman’s Manual to a young rancher as a gift. As we leafed through the pages, it was pretty evident how cattle, particularly British cattle, have changed over the years. Once mostly horned, short legged, deep in body, wide in loin and very haired up, they look very little like the […] Read more
Elanco buys swine PWD vaccine maker
Veterinary drugmaker Elanco Animal Health is expanding its space in the swine sector with a deal to buy the Quebec startup behind Coliprotec vaccines. Indianapolis-based Elanco announced Thursday it has paid $78.5 million to buy Prevtec Microbia, which is headquartered in Montreal with facilities in St-Hyacinthe. The Coliprotec line is meant to help protect pigs […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder prices ratchet higher
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $3-$5 higher on average; however, there were a few feature sales quoted $8 to as much as $10 above week-ago levels. Finishing feedlots were fairly aggressive on backgrounded cattle, which was the main source of yearlings last week. Early grassers are starting to come on the […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures swing wildly as trade war intensifies
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) livestock futures swung wildly on Monday, with the most-active October lean hog futures going nearly limit-up and -down in the same trading session, amid growing tensions in the U.S.-China trade war. China’s commerce ministry said that Chinese companies have stopped buying U.S. agricultural products, and that China […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures set nine-month low on big supplies, China trade tensions
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) hog futures extended their decline on Friday, with the most active contract touching its lowest price in nine months under pressure from large supplies and the worsening U.S.-China trade war. Cattle futures also weakened. China on Friday vowed to fight back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s abrupt […] Read more