Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rose to multi-year highs on Monday but closed lower as profit-taking and technical selling clipped gains, traders said. The spread of a new coronavirus variant sparked demand worries as livestock traders feared renewed restrictions on travel and restaurant occupancy. But strong beef packer margins and […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle post new highs, retreat on profit-taking
Chicago lean hogs close mixed
U.S. grains: Wheat drops as U.S. dollar edges higher
Australia forecasts record wheat crop; corn, soy down on good South America weather
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures retreated on Monday on a firmer dollar and as a record harvest outlook from major exporter Australia eased recent concerns about rain-damaged crops. Corn and soybeans followed wheat lower, pressured by technical selling and profit-taking and by good weekend rains in Argentina and parts of Brazil. Chicago Board […] Read more
Canada shuts to seven African countries’ travelers
Latest COVID-19 variant spurs decision
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada is closing its borders to foreign travelers who have recently been to seven southern African nations to help stop the spread of a newly identified variant of COVID-19, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told reporters Friday. The European Union, the United States and Britain are among those tightening border controls as […] Read more
U.S. grains: New COVID variant scares markets
Soybeans, wheat drop; corn rebounds
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell Friday as news of a new COVID-19 variant discovered in South Africa sent oil and equities markets lower, with moves exaggerated by low trade volume across the grain and oilseed commodities. Chicago Board of Trade January soybeans lost 13-3/4 cents, at $12.52-3/4 a bushel, the contracts biggest […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle futures set new contract highs
February hogs drop to two-week low
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures set new highs on Friday and finished stronger on technical buying and firm cash prices, traders said. The front-month December contract and most-active February 2022 contract avoided losses seen in commodities such as crude oil and soybeans that were unnerved by the discovery of a […] Read more
Schoepp: The pandemic brought stress but also something empowering
A lot of the burden fell on farm and ranch women, but struggle also brought a new strength
Reading Time: 3 minutes Women have multiple roles on Alberta’s farms and ranches, and navigating the pandemic has taken courage, determination, innovation and forgiving grace. I asked some of them to share their experiences. At first, the fact that the country home was remote seemed a blessing as it reduced the potential exposure to the virus. But as time […] Read more
Pork seminar adopts dual format
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Banff Pork Seminar will be a hybrid conference this winter. Organizers are planning to have live broadcast of the plenary sessions, with breakout sessions to be taped and available following the Jan. 11-13 event. “The safety of our delegates is of utmost importance, and we are taking steps to ensure that in-person delegates have […] Read more
Cargill serves lockout notice on High River workers
Company 'willing to keep meeting' after offer rejected
Updated — Whether in a strike or a lockout, workers at one of Canada’s biggest beef slaughter plants took another step toward the picket line this week by voting to reject the company’s latest contract offer. A vote conducted Tuesday and Wednesday by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 401 went to the […] Read more
Farmers’ markets saw a slower summer, but support is still strong
People had more options for outings this summer, but demand for farm-fresh food keeps growing
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farmers’ markets across Alberta were mostly back to “business as usual” — albeit with smaller crowds — after last year’s COVID restrictions were lifted this summer. “For Irvings Farm Fresh, 2021 felt more like business as usual,” said Nicola Irving, owner of Irvings Farm Fresh near Round Hill. “In 2020, we had seen reductions in […] Read more
In-person events are back this winter
Done with Zoom? It won’t be exactly like the old days but there’s a full slate of meetings this winter
Reading Time: 3 minutes It may not quite be business as usual, but after nearly two years of mostly virtual meetings, it’s a welcome change. “One of the things people are most looking forward to is getting to gather and see people face to face as opposed to over a Zoom call,” said Megan Evans, marketing and events manager […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
