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
Klassen: Light test of feeder cattle reflects hot demand
Argentina extends beef export cap, stoking farm tensions
Move seen as 'giving markets to other countries'
Buenos Aires | Reuters — Argentina extended beef export restrictions until the end of October on Tuesday, stoking tensions with the powerful farm sector as the government seeks to bolster domestic meat supply to help contain rising food prices. The move comes months before key mid-term elections, with centre-left President Alberto Fernandez keen to avoid […] Read more
Klassen: Yearlings hold value while calves remain under pressure
Compared to last week, Western Canadian yearling prices were relatively unchanged while calves were once again $2 to $4 lower. Featherlight bawlers were down $4 to as much as $8 from week-ago levels. The tight feed grain supply situation continues to set the price structure for feeder cattle. Yearlings straight off grass held a slight […] Read more
Lamb prices on a tear
Reading Time: < 1 minute Lamb prices have been trading at record levels, says a provincial livestock market analyst. In the first four months of the year, market lambs were fetching an average of $283, up 11 per cent from a year ago and 24 per cent more than the five-year average, said Jason Wood. “Demand for lamb products has […] Read more
Live cattle imports up nationally, dip slightly here
Reading Time: 2 minutes More cattle headed north last year, says a provincial livestock analyst. “Live cattle imports from the U.S. to Canada were up in 2020 which is the fourth year-over-year increase in a row,” said Jason Wood. “The numbers for the January to December 2020 period show just over 272,000 non-purebred cattle were imported to Canada. This […] Read more
FCC: Cattle feeders and backgrounders to struggle
Reading Time: < 1 minute Not bad for some, not good for others sums up Farm Credit Canada’s outlook for the livestock sector this year. “Farrow-to-finish operations will continue to witness pressures on margins, while isowean/ weanling operators will see a turnaround in profits,” states the FCC forecast. “Cow-calf margins should be strong while feedlot operators and backgrounders may struggle […] Read more
Auction marts urged to introduce social distance
Cattle are still flowing through auction marts as scheduled
The Livestock Markets Association of Canada wants to see more social distance at auction marts in the wake of COVID-19. The association has released an emergency response policy, asking its members to implement social distancing and prevention measures against the virus. “What we are looking at is trying to get a consistent message out to […] Read more
Loonie tanks post-Brexit, but benefits minimal for farmers
CNS Canada — The Canadian dollar slipped after Britain voted Thursday to leave the European Union, a trend which one financial analyst expects to continue in an otherwise uncertain environment. But the loonie hasn’t fallen far enough to bring support to Canadian commodity markets. “Short-term, we’re going to be dealing with the day-to-day volatility and […] Read more
Watching what moves markets
Monitoring response to government crop and livestock reports helps with risk assessment and marketing plans
Reading Time: < 1 minute It’s a fact — government agricultural reports can affect the market. Those who follow crop and livestock markets often see the dramatic reaction these reports can have on prices, says provincial market specialist Neil Blue. “The reports are usually the result of a survey of inventory, or of estimated inventory and estimated use of crops […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
