Livestock
What a difference a year makes! In December 2009 feeder cattle prices were down challenging an area of support at $90. Prices quickly bounced off the line of support, as illustrated in the accompanying chart, and by the end of December a two-month reversal materialized, which indicated prices were about to turn back up. In […] Read more
Drozd: Feeder cattle prices rally to end 2010 on new historical high
Sask. scale firm buys Texas livestock scale maker
A Saskatoon manufacturer of industrial weigh scales for livestock, trucking and bulk commodities plans to expand its U.S. reach by buying a Texas firm in the same line of work. Norac Systems International said Tuesday it has bought Agricultural Scales Inc., a maker of “legal for trade” group animal scales, for an undisclosed sum. The […] Read more
Canada’s bison market on the rise
(Commodity News Service Canada) — Many agricultural markets across the world have been gaining strength of late, and prices for Canadian bison are no different. “If the past four years are any indication, demand has been growing at about a 17 to 20 per cent rate over that period of time,” said Mark Silzer, president […] Read more
Loaner quota offered to new Alta. dairy farmers
Alberta’s dairy marketing board has unveiled a program to support new dairy farmers in the province by temporarily lending them quota until they can afford to buy their own. Alberta Milk’s recently-announced program helps ease producers’ start-up costs by loaning quota that matches, to a maximum 15 kilograms per day, what they buy through the […] Read more
Klassen: Fed cattle lead feeders higher
U.S. fed cattle prices reached $107 per hundredweight during the last week of December on tight market-ready supplies and strong domestic demand. Feeder cattle markets were rather quiet on both sides of the market due to the holiday period. However, this strength in the slaughter market should result in a $5-$10/cwt increase in feeder cattle […] Read more
Maple Leaf shareholders to talk governance in April
A Toronto investment management firm that wants to see changes in how Maple Leaf Foods picks its board of directors may have to wait until late April to get a vote on its proposals. West Face Capital, which in August bought up an 11.4 per cent stake in the Toronto-based meat and bakery giant from […] Read more
Feds back SW Ont. packer bid for federal inspection
A farmer-owned beef packing plant in southwestern Ontario has picked up a government loan for new equipment that’s expected to allow it to shift gears from provincial to federal inspection. West Grey Premium Beef, operating at Durham, about 100 km north of Kitchener, will get a $70,000 repayable contribution from the federal AgriProcessing Initiative. “This […] Read more
Say Yes To The Test, Urges Alberta BSE-Testing Advocate
Reading Time: 3 minutes Lawyer and Alberta rancher David Pope is on a one-man crusade to gain market access for Canadian beef in Japan. For the cost of a $15-per-carcass BSE test, Pope argues Canadian cattle could fetch as much as $500 per head above current prices. Pope has been waging his crusade for the past five years, but […] Read more
After Brief Profitability, Pork Producers Re-Enter Survival Mode
Reading Time: 3 minutes Following several months of small to moderate profits over the summer, a dramatic fall in hog prices and soaring feed costs have once again put Canada’s pig producers in a perilous position. After three years of hemorrhaging cash, producers hoped a sustained period of profits would rebuild equity. Those hopes have been dashed on the […] Read more
U.S. Reports Record Net Farm Income For 2010
Reading Time: < 1 minute The U.S. farm sector is enjoying a broad-based boom, thanks to surging prices and vociferous demand from China, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Dec. 1. U.S. net cash farm income will rise 34 per cent to a record $92.5 billion this year, one of the rosiest years for American agriculture in four decades. “The recovery […] Read more
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