Order buyers have been very busy fielding calls for available cattle.  Photo: Thinkstock

Klassen: Yearling prices surge

Compared to last week, Western Canadian yearling prices were $3 to as much as $10 higher while calves traded $2 to $5 above week-ago levels.  Most auction barns remain in holiday mode; however, order buyers were extremely busy fielding calls for available cattle. This caused the yearling market in Western Canada to divorce from the […] Read more

Live cattle futures were lifted by expectations of herd expansion slowing.  Photo: File

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures rally on corn futures slump

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) feeder cattle futures inched upward on Monday, as corn futures fell sharply and traders hoped that feed costs will continue to remain under pressure. Meanwhile, lean hog futures faced choppy trading on Monday as the market wrestles with continued expectations for – but no clear signs yet […] Read more


Photo: File

Livestock producers receive tax relief for 2019

Drought in Western Canada and Quebec has prompted the federal government to release an initial list of regions eligible for livestock tax deferrals. The livestock tax deferral provision allows livestock producers in prescribed drought, flood or excess moisture regions to defer a portion of their 2019 sale proceeds of breeding livestock until 2020 to help […] Read more

Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau addresses the Dairy Farmers of Canada AGM in Saskatoon. (Photo courtesy AAFC)

Supply-managed sector compensation details due before election

Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has pledged to lay out details on trade pact compensation for supply-managed sectors before the federal election in October. The pledge comes as the federal Liberals face pressure from supply-managed sectors and the federal opposition Conservatives to deliver on compensation for access granted to the Canadian market under Canada’s free […] Read more



China can’t ban hope — pork sector is eyeing a great year

China can’t ban hope — pork sector is eyeing a great year

The supply-and-demand calculus is clear: Demand is high, supply is low, and those selling pork will find buyers

Reading Time: 3 minutes International pork markets are in disarray, but the prospects are good for pork producers here — even after Beijing’s new ban on Canadian pork exports. China had been a hot market for Canadian pork this year, with its purchases jumping by more than half in the first four months and moving the nation ahead of […] Read more





branding irons

Is there really any need to brand cattle anymore?

The reasons have largely disappeared

Reading Time: 4 minutes I hope everyone will seriously question if we need to brand — and if we do, how best to do it. I have heard several veterinarians and animal welfare scientists discuss if branding in its original form is even needed today. Lots has changed from the days of the wide-open range where cattle were mixed […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

U.S. to move BLM headquarters to Colorado

Reuters — The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will move its headquarters to Colorado from Washington, officials said on Tuesday, sparking ire from conservationists who said the decision would weaken the agency dedicated to managing the country’s vast public lands. The Department of Interior, which oversees BLM, announced the move in letters to key congressional […] Read more