Livestock
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures sagged on Monday in advance of potentially lower cash prices this week as packers attempt to recover lost profits, said traders. February live cattle closed down 0.475 cent/lb. at 115.925 cents, and April was 0.625 cent lower at 112.525 cents (all figures US$). Monday’s average […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle brace for possible weak cash prices
U.S. livestock: Fund liquidation undercuts CME live cattle
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed lower on Friday, hit by sell stops and fund selling after drifting below technical support levels, said traders. February live cattle closed 1.25 cents/lb. lower at 116.4 cents, and April 1.675 cents lower at 113.15 cents (all figures US$). Both contracts slipped beneath their […] Read more
Agropur co-op names new chief
A dairy producer from the Centre-du-Quebec region is being promoted to the head of the board table at dairy co-operative Agropur. Rene Moreau, who farms south of Victoriaville at Warwick, Que., was announced Friday as Agropur’s new president, replacing Serge Riendeau, who led the board for the past 15 years. Moreau, one of Agropur’s vice-presidents […] Read more
Pacing, rocking and other worrisome behaviour in horses
Horse Health: Repetitive behaviour isn’t a problem to fix, it’s a sign to look for the root issue
Reading Time: 4 minutes Stereotypic behaviours are repetitive behaviours performed by animals with no obviously discernible function. One of the most commonly recognized stereotypic behaviours is the pacing of polar bears in zoo exhibits. Stereotypic behaviours are also recognized in horses, of which cribbing, weaving and stall walking or pacing are the three most common. Polar bears and horses […] Read more
It came from outer space — better pasture insurance, that is
Using a new generation of satellites to measure grass production promises to be a game changer for pasture insurance
Reading Time: 4 minutes Ask any rancher or other forage producer — insuring pasture land can be a major pain in the neck. Because of the limitations of current assessment tools, in the event of a wreck producers can be paid nothing or an amount that does not reflect actual loss. Instead, payments are made on an area-wide basis […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle end firmer
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures settled higher on Thursday, helped by technical buying and this week’s steady-to-firmer cash prices, said traders and analysts. They said the prospect of increased supplies capped back-month futures advances. February live cattle closed 0.875 cent/lb. higher at 117.65 cents, and above the 40-day moving average […] Read more
Want to be a dairy farmer?
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Milk is accepting applications to its New Entrant Assistance Program until March 31. The program matches the quota purchased by the new entrant with a loan of quota from Alberta Milk up to 25 kilograms per day (about 20 to 25 cows) at no cost. New entrants can expand up to 70 kg/day of […] Read more
Agropur raises 2016 sales, patronage dividends
Acquisitions and cost-cutting have combined to boost dairy co-operative Agropur’s year-end bottom line — and to raise its total patronage dividends for the year by 50 per cent. The Quebec co-operative, which in 2016 landed on Rabobank’s list of the world’s 20 largest dairy companies for the first time, booked net earnings before patronage and […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Initial cash prices drop CME live cattle
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures finished lower on Wednesday, pressured by softer wholesale beef values and some preliminary cash prices that fell short of expectations, traders said. They said sell stops and fund liquidation compounded market losses. February live cattle closed 0.9 cent/lb. lower at 116.775 cents, and April 1.75 […] Read more
Ontario backs feed processing at Cargill beef plant
Ontario’s provincial government plans to put up over half a million dollars for Cargill to process byproducts from its Guelph beef plant for feed. Provincial Agriculture Minister Jeff Leal on Wednesday announced a $582,000 investment toward Cargill’s installation of a “value-added” processing system converting raw byproduct into a “protein-rich animal feed ingredient.” The “leading-edge technological […] Read more