Livestock
U.S. agrifood giant Cargill is set to step out of the Canadian egg processing business and sell its Toronto-area plant to another processor in the same line of work. The company announced Thursday it plans to sell its egg processing plant at Etobicoke to Global Egg Corp., which also operates out of Etobicoke, for an […] Read more
Cargill to exit Canadian egg processing
EU calls meeting to try to unblock Canada trade deal
Brussels | Reuters — The European Union summoned envoys from its member states to an emergency meeting in Brussels at 8 p.m. local time on Thursday to seek a last-minute resolution to Belgian difficulties holding up a trade deal with Canada, diplomats said. All 28 EU governments support the planned Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement […] Read more
Australian bidders gatecrash deal for country’s biggest landholding
Sydney | Reuters — Four of Australia’s wealthiest outback cattle families plan to make the first entirely domestic offer to buy S.Kidman and Co, the country’s largest private landholding, paying more than a rival bid of A$365 million (C$370.1 million), two of the quartet said. Kidman has already accepted a joint offer by Australia’s richest […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle fall as beef prices tumble
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures fell the most in 1-1/2 weeks on Wednesday in a selloff linked to lacklustre demand from meat packers and government data that showed the lowest wholesale beef prices in four years, traders said. Feeder cattle futures dropped the most so far this month while lean hogs declined […] Read more
Belgian region wants more time to fix CETA
Brussels/Ottawa | Reuters — The premier of the Belgian region that is the main impediment to a planned EU-Canada free trade agreement on Wednesday advised postponing a summit next week to sign the deal and taking a few more months to fix outstanding issues. Walloon’s Paul Magnette spoke as pressure mounted on him to drop […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures stumble as supplies grow
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures on Tuesday slumped for a third consecutive session, weakened by already ample supplies as Smithfield Foods’ East Coast plants return to full operations after being idled by Hurricane Matthew, traders said. Most-actively traded December lean hogs finished down 0.475 cent/lb., to 41.125 cents (all figures […] Read more
Alberta now home to world-class RFID tag testing lab
Lots can go wrong with plastic ear tags when it’s really cold and the new SAIT lab will help reduce the incidence of tag failure
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta is now home to an internationally certified laboratory for testing the radio frequency identification (RFID) tags used to track livestock across the value chain. The lab, located at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology’s (SAIT) Applied Research and Innovation Services (ARIS) department in Calgary, is one of only three certified animal RFID testing labs […] Read more
Can you afford to feed open cows this winter?
High prices have more than covered winter feeding costs, but now it may pay to preg check and cull
Reading Time: 4 minutes Pregnancy checking cows in the fall could save producers up to $250 a head in winter feeding costs — but is it really worth it? “Over the last 10 years, it really hasn’t been,” said Brenna Grant, manager of Canfax Research Services. “But there is a threshold, at about $1.02 per pound. If prices are […] Read more
Preg checking: Which method is right for your farm?
There are three methods to choose from, and each of them have pros and cons — as well as different costs
Reading Time: 3 minutes With cattle prices falling, it could pay to preg check your cows this fall — but which method should you choose? “The method that best suits your situation will really depend on the management of your herd, your geographic location, potentially even the year,” said Dr. Jessica Gordon, an assistant professor at the Ontario Veterinary […] Read more
Gay Lea to buy central Ontario butter maker
A U.S.-owned artisanal butter processor in central Ontario is set to become an arm of Ontario dairy co-operative Gay Lea Foods. Michigan-based butter producer Butterball Farms has agreed to sell Stirling Creamery, based at Stirling, Ont., north of Belleville, to Gay Lea effective Nov. 1. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, though Gay Lea […] Read more