Livestock
Chicago | Reuters – Live cattle futures rallied on month-end short covering and position squaring on Wednesday, with the nearby contract hitting its highest price in almost eight months, traders said. Front-month CME October live cattle settled up 1.950 cent at 115.850 cents per pound and reached its highest price since March 6. Most-active December […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Nearby live cattle futures jump on short covering, positioning
Russia to resume beef, pork imports from Brazil
Moscow/Sao Paulo | Reuters – Russia’s agriculture safety watchdog said on Wednesday it would allow imports of beef and pork from nine Brazilian plants beginning on Thursday, ending an 11-month ban triggered by concerns about the safety of their meat products. Russia’s Rosselkhoznadzor had placed temporary restrictions on imports of pork and beef products from […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures fall on concerns over increasing supplies
Chicago | Reuters – Live cattle futures dropped to their lowest prices in more than a week on Tuesday and feeder cattle futures fell to seven-week lows on worries about increasing U.S. supplies, analysts said. Feedlots were offering to sell some 5,000 more cattle than a week ago, said Rich Nelson, chief strategist for Illinois-based […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle demand softens
Compared to last week, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $2 to as much as $5 lower. Feedlot margins have come under pressure over the past week which resulted in lower bids for all weight categories. Alberta and Saskatchewan feedlot inventories are running 18 to 20 per cent above year-ago levels. Pen space is at […] Read more
Fall is a good time to inspect and maintain a dugout
Mowing and ensuring the float line is below ice level are good yearly practices, and warning signs are a must
Reading Time: 2 minutes When inspecting your dugout, work from the outside in. A fall inspection should start with a check of the area that feeds into the dugout, said provincial water specialist Dan Benson. “A properly graded, mowed grassed waterway is an excellent best-management practice that can reduce turbidity and nutrient-rich water from entering your dugout,” he said. […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures jump on technical buying
Chicago | Reuters – Lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange gained as much as 1.7 percent on Monday, rising on technical buying and calendar spreading despite weaker prices for hogs in U.S. cash markets, traders said. Live and feeder cattle futures each were narrowly mixed in spread trading amid a lack of fresh […] Read more
Update on national beef strategy
Reading Time: < 1 minute An update on the 2015-19 National Beef Strategy is now available at the Canada’s National Beef Strategy website. As of June, 15 per cent of outcomes have been completed; five per cent are in progress (have an end); 61 per cent are ongoing (and expected to continue); seven per cent have not been started (primarily […] Read more
U.S. dairy farmers get little help from Canada trade deal
Madison, Wisconsin/St. Claude, Manitoba | Reuters – Minnesota farmer Paul Fritsche can no longer afford health insurance as he struggles to sustain a dairy farm that has been in his family for nearly a century. With U.S. milk prices in the fourth year of a slump due to chronic oversupply, Fritsche, 58, is unsure whether […] Read more
Hog industry worldwide getting slaughtered in trade war
Beijing/Chicago/Carambei | Reuters – Ken Maschhoff, chairman of the largest U.S. family-owned pork producer, has watched profits fall as trade tensions rise between the United States and China. His company, The Machhoffs, has halted U.S. projects worth up to $30 million and may move some operations overseas. Investing in domestic operations now would be “ludicrous” […] Read more
The birds and the beef: The facts of grasslands conservation
Grassland bird populations down dramatically, but farmers often don’t appreciate their value
Reading Time: 3 minutes Birds are struggling to survive on Prairie grasslands — but they’re not the only ones in trouble. “The biggest species at risk in Manitoba is beef producers,” said Curtis Hullick, field manager for the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation. “It’s important to have large blocks of habitat for the birds. But with the economic pressures of […] Read more