Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell on Tuesday in a technical-selling and profit-taking setback from 3-1/2 month highs posted in the prior session. Sharply lower feeder cattle futures amid higher corn feed costs put further pressure on live cattle contracts, as both livestock markets took a breather after scaling to […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures dip in technical, profit-taking pullback
CME hogs end day mixed
ULethbridge and AAFC team up on bovine respiratory disease
Reading Time: < 1 minute Researchers in the University of Lethbridge’s Southern Alberta Genome Science Centre (SAGSC) and its bioinformatics core are collaborating with scientists at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to find viable solutions to mitigate Bovine Respiratory Disease. They are working with other scientists to advance a genomic-based diagnostic pipeline for BRD, based on Alberta herd-specific pathogens, that will […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures up with cash prices, tightening supplies
October lean hogs also gain on day
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures climbed to a 3-1/2 month peak on Monday, supported by firm cash market prices and tightening supplies. Falling corn feed prices supported feeder cattle futures, while lean hog contracts also gained and touched the highest level since June 2021. CME August live cattle futures peaked […] Read more
Federal, provincial governments partner on ecological goods and services program
Few details available so far on the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program, but producers think it’s a good step
Reading Time: 3 minutes A new federal ecological goods and services program, the first of its kind, was announced in late July as part of the next five-year agriculture framework dubbed the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. About $250 million will fund a new Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program (RALP), designed to support ecological goods and services provided by the agriculture […] Read more
Let’s do what we can to keep our animals safe from blue-green algae
Reporting suspected algae blooms and checking provincial advisories are both good steps
Reading Time: 3 minutes Over the years with increased phosphorus and nitrogen getting into bodies of water, there have been more blue green algae blooms and that means more contact with cattle, as well as dogs, birds, wildlife and, of course, people. With cattle, most of the time we get sudden death but also neurology cases. Wildlife, including birds, […] Read more
Massive soil carbon mapping could change views about cattle
Five-year, $3.2-million study will determine how much carbon is stored in pastures thanks to grazing
Reading Time: 3 minutes What is the real value of soil carbon? And how much carbon do cattle producers store in the soil? These are two questions that will be answered in a carbon soil mapping project conducted by researchers from the universities of Alberta and Saskatchewan. “The reason for the project is that carbon in the atmosphere is […] Read more
Klassen: Light test of feeder cattle reflects hot demand
Compared to last week, Western Canadian yearling prices were relatively unchanged; prices for mid-weight calves were $2 to $5 higher. Calves under 550 pounds were up $6 to $8 on average while feather light bawlers were up a sold $10 above week-ago levels. Weaker feed grain prices along with strength in the deferred live cattle […] 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
Beef pricing to be reviewed
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Beef Producers, the Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association, and the Canadian Cattle Association are undertaking “an Alberta beef competitiveness study.” The groups say the study “will seek to understand the apparent lack of packing capacity.” It will focus on three areas: barriers to entry and expansion for the packing sector; confidentiality concerns in regard to […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures end higher on firm beef prices
Futures up before new USDA figures released
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher on Friday, supported by strong beef prices and positioning ahead of U.S. government reports released after the close of the market, traders said. CME August live cattle futures settled up 1.65 cents at 137.375 cents/lb. and most-active October ended up 2.025 cents at […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
