Livestock
Tokyo | Reuters — Japan is considering scrapping import restrictions on U.S. beef purchases that were put in place after the first case of BSE in the U.S. in 2003, local media reported on Thursday. Both the Nikkei business daily and Mainichi newspaper said officials are discussing removing the curbs that currently only allow beef […] Read more
Japan considers scrapping age limit on U.S. beef imports
U.S. livestock: Live cattle slip on weak cash outlook, lower beef
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures eased on Wednesday as a weak tone to the cash cattle market and lower beef prices anchored futures, traders said. Lower equities markets also cast a shadow over cattle futures as the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell for a fourth consecutive day, raising concerns about […] Read more
Beef checkoff plebiscite extended until Nov. 27
Reading Time: < 1 minute The plebiscite on making the $2-per-head provincial cattle checkoff non-refundable has been extended by two weeks, and so voting will continue until Nov. 27. The Alberta Agricultural Products Marketing Council “recognized that the terrible weather during September and early October left many producers far behind on their harvest and other fall work in the fields […] Read more
JBS posts narrower-than-expected quarterly loss
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazil-based food company JBS SA on Tuesday posted a narrower than expected quarterly loss on the back of a strong performance by its Seara processed foods and Brazil beef divisions, and resilience in certain of its U.S. operations. Seara booked net sales of 4.9 billion reais (C$1.72 billion) last quarter, […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Feeder cattle rally from five-month low in technical bounce
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle futures rallied from five-month lows on Tuesday in a short-covering and technical-buying bounce, traders said. Live cattle futures followed feeders higher, although gains were clipped by limited packer demand for U.S. Plains feedlot cattle ahead of next week’s shortened Thanksgiving holiday week slaughter. Actively traded January […] Read more
Klassen: Weather weighs on feeder cattle
Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $3 to as much as $6 lower. Eastern Prairie regions experienced demand from Ontario and Quebec, which limited the downside; however, Alberta markets faltered as buyers, having factored in a higher deathloss due to adverse weather. Light wet snow along with warmer temperatures during the […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs rally on demand outlook, swine fever concern
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures rallied more than one per cent on Monday on improving seasonal demand for pork and on concerns about the spread of African swine fever in China, traders said. Live cattle futures, meanwhile, were mostly lower on seasonally easing demand and as traders unwound intermarket spreads […] Read more
Waste not, want not — a different way to treat farm effluent
Chilean biowaste filtering system is an alternative to lagoons in treating liquid waste from dairies
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farmers know that earthworms are good for the soil — now they’re being used to process liquid waste from dairies, hog operations, and slaughterhouses. The process not only provides faster treatment than using lagoons, but also significantly reduces concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium and therefore the need for as much farmland to dispose of […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures drop most since June on weaker cash market
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell more than 1 percent on Friday, sagging under pressure from lower wholesale beef prices and slightly weaker trades in cash cattle markets in the southern Plains, traders said. Front-month December live cattle settled 1.975 cents lower at 114.575 cents per pound. The contract finished […] Read more
‘It’s happening,’ says new chair of sustainable beef group
Interest in producing — and consuming — sustainable beef is growing, says Anne Wasko
Reading Time: 3 minutes Interest in producing sustainable beef is growing thanks to a pilot program that is paying producers who meet the standards laid out by the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, says the organization’s new chair. “I think it’s happening,” said Anne Wasko. “In this business, change happens fairly slowly. But the dollars are out there — […] Read more