Livestock
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures were higher on Friday, boosted by short-covering in a rebound from an earlier one-week low, traders and analysts said. Traders also were squaring their positions ahead of the U.S. Department’s monthly Cattle on Feed report, which was released after the close of trading. The slightly […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle climb ahead of USDA supply report
U.S. livestock: Hog futures widely mixed on spreading
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures were widely mixed on Thursday, with nearby contracts gaining on the back of higher hog prices in cash markets while deferred futures contracts lost ground, traders and analysts said. Cattle futures, both live and feeder, continued to decline as traders locked in profits following the six-month highs […] Read more
NAFTA talks grind on with little sign of deal
Washington | Reuters — Canada and the U.S. showed scant sign of being close to striking a deal on revamping the trilateral NAFTA that underpins US$1.2 trillion in annual trade, as Canadian sources played down talk of a U.S. quota on autos. Canada says it does not feel bound by a U.S.-imposed deadline for the […] Read more
Animal health firm Elanco surges on trading debut
Reuters — Eli Lilly unit Elanco Animal Health’s shares jumped as much as 41 per cent on their stock market debut on Thursday, adding to investor enthusiasm for the fast-growing animal healthcare market. Elanco’s shares opened at $32.25 on the New York Stock Exchange, higher than their IPO price of $24 per share, giving the […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures near three-month high
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures climbed to a nearly three-month high on Wednesday, boosted by gains in cash hog markets, before futures trimmed gains to finish the session mixed. Cattle futures were nearly flat on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, in technical trading as dealers awaited a monthly U.S. Department of Agriculture cattle […] Read more
Trudeau urges some U.S. flexibility in NAFTA talks
Washington/Ottawa | Reuters — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday he wanted to see flexibility from the U.S. if the two sides are to reach a deal on renewing NAFTA, which Washington insists must be finished by the end of the month. Ottawa is pushing back against increasing pressure by the administration of […] Read more
When feed is in short supply, it’s time for extra culling
Beef 911: Downsizing the herd will be profitable if you have good records and good reasons for culling
Reading Time: 4 minutes With the shortage of feed across Western Canada, this may be a good year to downsize by extra culling. The question of what the next wave of culls should be goes beyond reproduction — the fall is also an ideal time to consider culling problem cows. The yearly cost to maintain those cows is at […] Read more
Tax relief offered to livestock producers short on feed
If you’re forced to sell breeding stock but planning to restock, you can defer taxes for a year
Reading Time: < 1 minute Twenty-one counties and municipal districts in Alberta are on the “initial list” of regions where livestock producers can defer taxes because of feed shortfalls. The federal government’s Livestock Tax Deferral Provision program allows producers to defer a portion of their 2018 sale proceeds of breeding livestock until 2019 to help replenish the herd. The cost […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs jump on gains in cash hogs, pork prices
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures surged over four per cent on Tuesday, rising to the highest levels in three months on support from gains in prices for hogs in cash markets and wholesale pork, traders said. A lower U.S. hog slaughter in recent days due to Hurricane Florence limited pork […] Read more
A little bit of Iceland thrives in central Alberta
Icelandic sheep are rare in the province but the hardy breed does well in its new homeland
Reading Time: 3 minutes When Stuart Somerville first started researching Icelandic sheep on the internet back in 2009, he never realized he would fall in love with the animals. He and wife Kayla ended up purchasing two ewes and a ram and bringing them to their farm near Endiang, 150 kilometres southeast of Red Deer, in 2009. Somerville had […] Read more