Reading Time: 5 minutes Many beef producers might remember a time, say 25 years ago, that a 900-pound steer would be considered finished. Today, there’s a good chance that same steer would be 50 pounds away from starting the finishing process. Craig Lehr remembers. And on the 25th anniversary of the largest not-for-profit, industry-led funding agency in Canadian beef […] Read more
The guiding light of beef research
BCRC celebrates 25 years of funding beef research that the government wouldn’t
U.S. reports case of atypical BSE
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Friday an atypical case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), in an older beef cow at a slaughter plant in South Carolina. USDA said the animal never entered slaughter channels and the agency did not expect any trade impacts as a result. It was […] Read more
New beef sector scholarship
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canadian Beef Check-Off Agency has created a $2,000 scholarship for students pursuing post-secondary studies in agriculture, ag-business and research. Applicants need to make “a creative video no longer than two minutes, showcasing how their background in agriculture, paired with their education, can help grow the future of the beef and veal industry.” For details, […] 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
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
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