Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef is seeking feedback on its revised “sustainability indicators” for beef production in Canada. The indicators are ways to measure sustainability objectives — such as ecosystem health and animal health and welfare. For example, one of the objectives is to maintain or enhance grasslands, pastures, and native ecosystems. Some of […] Read more
One last chance to comment on sustainable beef ‘indicators’
The indicators are ways to measure objects such as ecosystem health and animal welfare
Klassen: Feeder cattle drop on cautious feedlot demand
Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $3 to as much as $8 below week-ago levels as feedlot managers anticipate growing beef supplies during the late spring and summer. Heavier weight categories absorbed the brunt of the selling pressure, with backgrounding operators liquidating fall-placed calves. Certain groups of higher-quality heifers held value with the purpose of […] Read more
Klassen: Tenacious feeder market softens on supply forecasts
Western Canadian feeder cattle prices traded steady to as much as $5 lower over the past week. Early in the week, buyers incorporated a risk discount due to the extremely cold temperatures, especially in the Eastern prairie regions. By Thursday, markets were factoring in the larger beef supply forecasts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, […] Read more
Harmony Beef announces opening date
Refurbished plant will feature state-of-the-art processing technology, not seen before in Canada
Reading Time: 3 minutes The opening date has been pushed back multiple times, but Harmony Beef is slated to open Feb. 22 and has cattle booked for the first couple of months. “When we start out, we’ll start very slowly,” said owner Rich Vesta. The American meat-packing industry veteran bought the shuttered Rancher’s Beef plant just north of Calgary […] Read more
New provincial VBP+ co-ordinator hired in Alberta
Reading Time: < 1 minute Melissa Downing is the new provincial co-ordinator for the Verified Beef Production Plus program. Downing is an agrologist, and she and her husband raise cattle near Metiskow in east-central Alberta. This is a pivotal time in the beef industry and VBP+ “has the potential to establish Canada as a leader in sustainable verification and result […] Read more
Get ready for super-efficient cattle — and a better relationship with consumers
Top researcher says big data and genomics are game changers, but winning the trust of consumers is equally key
Reading Time: 3 minutes In the ever-changing landscape of Canadian agriculture, efficiency is the new watchword. “If we can increase efficiency of production by about five per cent in Alberta, we can save producers about $100 million a year — even if only one-third of livestock producers adopt those efficient improvements,” said Erasmus Okine, vice-president of research at the […] Read more
Klassen: Winter conditions weigh on feeder market
Western Canadian feeder cattle prices traded steady to $3 lower compared to seven days earlier. The market tends to soften during the first major snowstorm each year, but the established risk discount was not as severe as in past years. Notwithstanding the cold temperatures and adverse weather conditions, feedlot operators continued to step forward fairly […] Read more
Canadian beef industry gets high marks in sustainability assessment
Industry needs to reduce meat waste and improve labour practices, but does well on greenhouse gas emissions
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s finally complete. The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef has crunched the numbers and can detail the full impact of what it takes to produce beef in Canada. The National Beef Sustainability Assessment — a first-of-its-kind study — took a comprehensive look at the environmental, social, and economic aspects of beef production. “Throughout the sustainability […] Read more
Klassen: Prolonged negative margins weigh on feeder market
Western Canadian feeder cattle prices traded $5-$10 lower last week, with certain auction barns experiencing a week-over-week decline of $15. After 15 months of devastating margins, feedlots have thrown in the towel. If one of the largest, most sophisticated and efficient feedlots shuts the doors, the smaller players are wondering what they’re doing in this […] Read more
Trust your people, dare to be different, and know your numbers
Those are just three key tips from four innovative entrepreneurs who shared their methods for boosting productivity
Reading Time: 5 minutes Increasing productivity by 15 per cent by 2020 is one of the pillars of the National Beef Strategy, which was created by beef organizations across Canada and released in January 2015. During the recent Canadian Beef Industry Conference, four experts shared how they increase productivity on their operations. Darren Bevans Darren Bevans, general manager of […] Read more
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