Livestock
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures on Friday reached their highest level since late August, driven by short-covering following the morning’s strong wholesale beef prices, said traders. Buy stops and technical buying enhanced market advances, they said. December live cattle closed 1.6 cents/lb. higher to 112.325 cents, after breaking through the […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle score 3-1/2 month high
Six quarantines lifted in bovine TB probe
Six premises deemed to be “low-risk” have been released from federal quarantine as officials continue their hunt for Alberta and Saskatchewan cattle exposed to bovine tuberculosis. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Wednesday reported it had lifted movement controls on six premises where “appropriate testing” has been completed on cattle so far in the agency’s […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cash price caution pressures CME live cattle
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed weaker on Thursday as investors wait for remaining slaughter-ready, or cash, cattle to change hands by Friday, traders said. December live cattle closed down 0.375 cent/lb. at 110.725 cents, and February was 0.425 cent lower at 113.275 cents (all figures US$). Packers may resist […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle slip on cash prices
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts finished in bearish territory on Wednesday, weakened by profit-taking and disappointing early-week cash prices, traders said. December live cattle closed down 0.025 cent/lb. to 111.1 cents, and February down 0.275 cent to 113.7 cents (all figures US$). Cattle at Wednesday morning’s Fed Cattle Exchange (FCE) […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Fund buying drives CME live cattle higher
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures on Tuesday gained for a second day in a row on fund buying and higher wholesale beef prices, traders said. December live cattle closed up 0.775 cent/lb. to 111.125 cents (all figures US$). February ended 1.025 cents higher at 113.975 cents. “Most certainly fuelled by […] Read more
How to get your sheep on the move
Understanding sheep behaviour is the key to getting them to go where you want them to
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you want to move a sheep, the worst thing you can do is isolate it, yell at it, and then try to move it from behind. “If you understand animal behaviour, that is 90 per cent of handling — the biggest knowledge gap that we have is true understanding of animal behaviour,” livestock-handling specialist […] Read more
Klassen: Winter conditions weigh on feeder market
Western Canadian feeder cattle prices traded steady to $3 lower compared to seven days earlier. The market tends to soften during the first major snowstorm each year, but the established risk discount was not as severe as in past years. Notwithstanding the cold temperatures and adverse weather conditions, feedlot operators continued to step forward fairly […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle climb ahead of arctic blast
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher on Monday, partly in anticipation of bone-chilling temperatures in the U.S. Plains and Midwest by week’s end, said traders. Extreme cold typically slows down weight gain in cattle, making them less available to packers. Also grocers tend to stock up on meat in […] Read more
Ontario names new top ag bureaucrat
Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has a new deputy minister. Greg Meredith will become deputy minister on Jan. 9. A deputy minister is a ministry’s chief civil servant, managing its implementation of government policy. Meredith replaces Dr. Deb Stark, who recently retired as deputy minister, capping a 30-year career in public […] Read more
Nestle pledges cage-free eggs for Canadian wares
The Canadian arm of Swiss food processing giant Nestle has promised to shift its egg supply to “cage-free” sources by 2025. Nestle Canada, whose products using eggs include some of its Lean Cuisine meals and Real Dairy desserts, said Wednesday it was “dedicated to working with Canadian farmers to make this transition.” The Canadian business […] Read more