Livestock
Brussels | Reuters — European Union countries agreed on Friday to allow negotiations to start with Washington on increasing U.S. beef imports into Europe, in a move that could ease transatlantic trade tensions. The Commission, which negotiates on behalf of the 28 EU nations, said it would open formal talks in the coming days on […] Read more
EU clear to start talks to increase U.S. beef imports
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures ease ahead of USDA report
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange livestock futures were lower on Friday, with both live cattle and lean hogs easing on worries that U.S. supplies were growing faster than demand, traders and analysts said. Cattle futures declined ahead of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s monthly Cattle on Feed report, which was released after the […] Read more
Scotland identifies ‘classical’ BSE case
London | Reuters — Scotland’s government said on Thursday that a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) had been discovered on a farm in Aberdeenshire, the first in Britain since 2015. A quarantine area has been put in place around the farm while inspectors try to identify the origin of the disease. “I have activated […] Read more
China culls 200,000 pigs due to African swine fever – official
China | Reuters – China, the world’s top pork producer, has culled 200,000 pigs so far following outbreaks of highly contagious African swine fever in the country, a Chinese animal health official said on Friday. While that represents only a tiny portion of the nearly 700 million pigs slaughtered in China each year for sale as pork, restrictions […] Read more
Bull test changes a sign of the times
Bull testing has changed — shifting from selecting for size to selecting for feed efficiency
Reading Time: 4 minutes Manitoba’s lone multi-breed bull test station is the last of a dying breed. In its early days, the Manitoba Bull Test Station was a way for cattle producers to evaluate their genetics before genetic testing became de rigueur in the livestock industry. Opened in 1963 near Douglas, just east of Brandon, the Sire Indexing Centre […] Read more
USMCA fallout: Some milk producers looking to exit
Dairy leaders looking for a ‘way forward’ but many are questioning their future in the sector
Reading Time: 6 minutes Dairy farmers in Alberta and across Canada are considering whether there’s a future in their sector — or if they should get out of the business, say farm leaders. Some may do that before the year is out, said David Wiens, vice-president of Dairy Farmers of Canada. “Over the next few months as we look […] Read more
Canadian cattle’s access to Philippines restored
The regulatory path has been cleared to resume exports of live Canadian cattle to the Philippines, reopening a market worth an estimated $8 million per year. The federal government on Monday announced the resumed export clearance, along with new market access for Canadian sheep and goat genetics exports to both Indonesia and the Philippines. The […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs extend slide, fall below seven-week lows
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures slid for the third consecutive session on Thursday and touched their lowest prices in more than seven weeks on concerns about increasing supplies, traders said. The market has weakened since contracts set multi-month highs on Oct. 1 amid worries about meat supplies swelling due to […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs decline on heavier animals, technical selling
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures dropped for the second straight session on Wednesday, on technical selling and after government data showed heavier-weight U.S. hogs that pointed to larger supplies, traders said. Bear-spreading pressured front-month December hogs, which settled down 2.175 cents at 54.7 cents/lb., a decline of about four per […] Read more
Klassen: Stronger demand supports feeder market
Western Canadian feeder cattle markets jumped $2-$5 last week, after adverse weather caused buyers to shy away earlier in October. Major feedlot operators were very aggressive on quality yearling packages and heavier weaned vaccinated calves. Many operations have limited ownership at this time of year because wet, cold weather conditions delayed purchases. The market appeared […] Read more