Livestock
Reading Time: < 1 minute An investigation that came after a B.C. cow tested positive for bovine TB in November has reached Alberta. The CFIA has been tracing animals that have entered (trace-ins) or left (trace-outs) the B.C. herd over the past five years. As of mid-December, six other operations in B.C. and Alberta had been placed under movement controls […] Read more
Latest bovine TB investigation includes Alberta
U.S. livestock: Hogs jump on hopes of pork exports to China
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. lean hog futures jumped to a nearly two-week high on Wednesday on speculation that exports of U.S. pork to China will rise in the coming months, traders and analysts said. Representatives from the U.S. and China were negotiating to end the trade war between the world’s biggest economies that has […] Read more
Klassen: Favourable margins support feeder market
There were no sales last week with auction barns closed for the holiday season; therefore, we start the year looking forward at factors that will influence the feeder market over the next month. While the feeder market was quiet, feedlot operators were surprised with the U.S. fed cattle market jumping US$3-$4 from seven days earlier. […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle weaken on profit-taking, hogs firmer
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures finished slightly lower on Monday as traders locked in profits in end-of-year position squaring, after prices earlier touched contract highs, traders said. Lean hog futures were mostly higher, buoyed by short-covering and position squaring on the final trading day of the month, quarter and year. Cattle futures […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle edge higher on technical buying, weather
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures edged higher on Friday, buoyed by technical buying and as wintry weather in the U.S. Plains hampered transportation of animals to market, traders and analysts said. Heavy snowfall, rains and falling temperatures in much of the central U.S. stressed livestock, likely slowing weight gains in […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle jump to contract highs
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures climbed to life-of-contract highs on Thursday as a storm brought blizzard-like conditions to much of the Plains cattle belt, stoking expectations of higher prices for the animals in cash markets, traders said. Heavy snow could impede transportation of cattle to market in Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and elsewhere while […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs mostly higher on technical buying
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. livestock futures were mostly higher on Wednesday, with cattle buoyed by expectations for gains in cash markets while hogs climbed on short covering after staying above Monday’s six-week lows, traders and analysts said. Prices for both cattle and hogs moved in relatively narrow ranges on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) […] Read more
Finding a cause for lameness in sheep
Little research on sheep lameness has been done in Canada, but the incidence can be high
Reading Time: 2 minutes Not a lot of work had been done to figure out why sheep go lame, but some Alberta researchers are working to change this. “We would like to develop a strategy to diagnose lame sheep which can later be used to inform best management practices to treat these animals,” said Wiolene Montanari Nordi, at the […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market ends year on firm tone
Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder markets traded $3-$5 higher. Auction barns in the major feeding regions of Alberta had limited numbers on offer last week; therefore, major operations were sourcing feeders from farther distances. While most feedlots are carrying sufficient numbers, year-end buying was able set the market on a firm tone. April […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs slump on technical selloff, cash worries
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures declined as much as 1.4 per cent on Monday in technical selling and worries of weaker prices for hogs in cash markets, traders and analysts said. Cattle futures, meanwhile, were mostly higher on light chart-based buying in an abbreviated session at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange ahead of […] Read more