Livestock
Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were steady to $3 per hundredweight lower last week. Alberta feedlots are backlogged with market-ready supplies and this has slowed purchases of replacement cattle. Carcass weights are 30 pounds heavier compared to April of 2011, and there appears to be a two-week back-up of packer purchases. Backgrounding operations are holding […] Read more
Klassen: Feedlot backlog weighs on feeder cattle prices
Scrapie found at Ont. home farm of missing sheep
One of the sheep remaining at a quarantined southeastern Ontario farm where 31 sheep disappeared earlier this month has been confirmed positive for scrapie. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, in a release late Friday, confirmed the fatal nerve disease in a sheep that had “recently died” on the farm operated by Linda Montana Jones near […] Read more
Sofina to buy former Maple Leaf pork plant
The owners of the former Maple Leaf Foods pork processing plant at Burlington, Ont. have signed a deal to sell the business to another Ontario meat packer. Sofina Foods, based at Markham, Ont. with 11 meat processing facilities across Canada, on Tuesday announced it will buy the Fearmans Pork plant and its related business from […] Read more
Klassen: Lower seasonal trend continues in feeder cattle
Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were down $3-$5 per hundredweight on average last week; feedlot buying interest dropped off sharply for replacement cattle as the fed market dipped to $110/cwt, which was down $4-$6/cwt from prices earlier in April. Comments from the industry suggest that packers experienced one of the worst weeks in history with […] Read more
Canada to counter-appeal WTO ruling on U.S. COOL
A World Trade Organization panel’s ruling criticizing the U.S. government’s country-of-origin labelling (COOL) law is now under appeal from both sides of the table. The WTO last week reported receiving formal notice that Canada, like the U.S., plans to appeal parts of last November’s ruling from the WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB). The U.S. filed […] Read more
USDA plans no new changes for COOL
While the U.S. government’s mandatory country-of-origin labelling law faces opposition from Canada and Mexico and a new round of scrutiny from global trade watchdogs, Washington has no plans to further toughen the law in the meantime. Compliance with Washington’s mandatory country-of-origin labelling (COOL) laws among U.S. meat packers and food processors is strong enough that […] Read more
Scrapie-quarantined sheep vanish from Ont. farm
Ontario Provincial Police and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are looking for a flock of sheep that has disappeared from a southeastern Ontario farm under quarantine for scrapie. The CFIA said in a release Monday that the animals in question are "suspected of having scrapie," a federally reportable nerve disease related to BSE in cattle […] Read more
Drozd: Harami alerts hog farmers to downward correction
After rallying up, but failing to fill a gap between $91.475 and $91.650, lean hog prices on the weekly nearby candlestick chart turned back down on Feb. 24. The ensuing reversal pattern (sell signal) that developed is referred to as a harami on a candlestick chart. Lean hog prices have since lost more than six […] Read more
Guelph to downsize Enviropig research
Researchers in Ontario plan to wind down the breeding work on a line of hogs genetically modified for more efficient use of phosphorus in their diets. Ontario Pork, one of the key funders in the development of the "Enviropig" line at the University of Guelph, recently announced the university is "reducing the scope of its […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle market under pressure
Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were $1-$3 per hundredweight lower last week due to softer fed cattle prices and stronger barley values. Feedlot buying interest has eased, with higher break-even costs in the deferred months. Lacklustre demand was noted for grass cattle despite an improvement in pasture conditions across most of the Prairies. Feeder steers […] Read more
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