Reading Time: 3 minutes The youngest-ever chair of Alberta Beef Producers says he’s excited to bring the voice of the next generation to the organization. “To be honest, when I first got involved with ABP, I had no intent of getting to the top position,” said 32-year-old Brodie Hagen, who ranches near Orion. “I just saw the opportunity to […] Read more
New chair takes the reins at ABP
Brodie Haugan says important issues include the decline in the cow herd and the long-term health of the cow-calf sector
U.S. beef cow herd falls to lowest level since 1962, USDA says
Last year saw record cull, Rabobank reports
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. beef cow herd dropped to its lowest level since 1962, U.S. Department of Agriculture data showed on Tuesday, after a severe drought raised costs for livestock feed. Ranchers increasingly sent cows to slaughter last year, instead of keeping them to reproduce, as dry weather reduced the amount of pasture […] Read more
Consider feed requirements for beef cattle during cold weather
A measure called LCT can be used to calculate the increase in total digestible nutrients required
Reading Time: 3 minutes When the weather outside is frightful, cattle need a helping hand. “The ability of cattle to withstand cold conditions is impacted by the lower critical temperature, or LCT,” said Karl Hoppe, a livestock specialist with North Dakota State University’s extension service. “When the temperature drops below the LCT, maintenance requirements will increase and performance can […] Read more
Klassen: Stronger deferred live cattle support feeder market
Cow-calf operators seen hesitant to expand
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $2-$3 on either side of unchanged. Calf prices were mostly unchanged compared to seven days earlier; however, there were pockets where buyers reported prices up $2-$3 on average. The Alberta calf market appeared to stage a minor recovery after softening over the past month. Manitoba markets […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Supply concerns drive CME live cattle to new contract high
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher and reached a new contract high on Wednesday amid concerns about tightening U.S. supplies, brokers said. Strong recent gains have left the market technically overbought and due for a setback, brokers said. “We’ve had a nice rally here,” said Matt Wiegand, commodity broker […] Read more
Beef industry honours forage breeder
Reading Time: < 1 minute A federal forage breeder from Nova Scotia is this year’s winner of the Canadian Beef Industry Award for Outstanding Research and Innovation. Yousef Papadopoulos, a research scientist at Ag Canada’s centre in Truro, N.S., “is known across North America for his contributions to forage development and ruminant livestock sustainability,” said the Beef Cattle Research Council, […] Read more
It’s showtime for BCRC webinars
Reading Time: < 1 minute There’s a ‘show me the money’ theme to the Beef Cattle Research Council’s upcoming webinar season. It begins Sept. 7 with a look at the latest numbers from the Canadian Cow-Calf Cost of Production Network, which has data from 42 farms that allows insights into the difference between “top, medium and low profitable farms.” It […] Read more
JBS quarterly profit falls almost 10 per cent but tops estimates
Cattle prices 'above the expected level'
Sao Paulo | Reuters — JBS, the world’s largest meatpacker, posted an almost 10 per cent drop in net profits, to US$766 million, driven by the relative weakness of its U.S. beef and pork units in the second quarter, according to an earnings statement on Thursday. Still, it beat analysts’ forecasts. JBS reported a 4.6 […] Read more
Optimism has returned with the rains for the cattle sector
Producers still dealing with drought fallout, but looking ahead to better days
Reading Time: 4 minutes Cattle producers are feeling cautiously hopeful, thanks to June and July rains. “It’s a sigh of huge relief, as least what I experienced in this area — it’s just a burden of worry lifted,” said Fred Lozeman, who farms with his cousin, runs two herds and operates a 2,000-head feedlot west of Claresholm. “There were […] Read more
National cattle producer group rebrands
Former Canadian Cattlemen's Association renamed
Canada’s national beef cattle producer body is rebranding under a slightly shorter new name that serves in part to clear away any potential whiff of a guys-only club. The organization formerly known as the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association on Thursday launched what it describes as a “a new brand identity, highlighting the strong and diverse group […] Read more
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