Widespread drought across the Prairies (and Northern Great Plains) has pushed many livestock producers to source resources for the upcoming winter from elsewhere. But as feed resources move across the country, both in Canada and the U.S., extension specialists warn that noxious weeds might be on the move too, and that livestock producers should be… Read More
The governments of Canada and Ontario will deliver $3 million over three initiatives to enhance biosecurity and support the provincial pork sector’s African swine fever (ASF) prevention and emergency preparedness efforts, the province says. Starting November 5, 2021, and under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, processors and other agri-businesses can access an intake to support training,… Read More
There’s a lot happening in the cattle markets as we hit mid-October (?!) already. Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange says the markets south of the border have held mostly steady, at around $124 for live cattle in the south, and $124-$125 in the north, while noting the cutout drop-off we are still seeing…. Read More
Over the next year, Walmart Canada will source 1.5 million pounds of beef sourced from CRSB Certified sustainable farms and ranches. To qualify, farmers and ranchers must be certified through a third-party audited system, in accordance with sustainability standards set by the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB). Walmart says this is just the first commitment,… Read More
New research suggests that a vaccine for African swine fever virus could be available soon. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) announced Sept 30 that a vaccine candidate for the highly contagious hog disease has been shown to prevent and effectively protect European- and Asian-bred swine against the currently circulating Asian… Read More
How many calves are left for the fall run? The answer could be more than usual; however, with the dry conditions in 2021, it’s also possible the very early start to the run means there are fewer calves left to come to town. The answer to where the fall run volume — and prices —… Read More
The Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) has announced the participants in the 2021-22 Beef Researcher Mentorship program. Following an open application process, four researchers from across Canada were selected: Dr. Gleise Medeiros da Silva, who recently joined the faculty at the Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta as an… Read More
Ontario will offer a maximum benefit of $220 per head of cattle for drought-stricken regions of the province through the newly-named Canada-Ontario Transported Feed AgriRecovery Initiative. The initiative is now accepting applications until November 1, 2021 and will provide emergency support to “producers who are incurring extraordinary costs to feed livestock due to drought conditions in… Read More
This week was a bit of a wild ride in the markets following the JBS fire that occured in Granville Island, Nebraska. The plant — that has the capacity to process 6,000 head of cattle a day — is now back up and running, but it has many asking “how does this impact the cattle… Read More
Four U.S. senators are attempting to answer the call to fix “broken” cattle markets in the country, with new legislation to restore mandatory country of origin labelling. Greg Henderson of Drover’s says he’s not entirely sure how it’s going to work, as mCOOL, as it is called, was eliminated after a lengthy World Trade Organization… Read More
The drought across much of the Prairies has forced plenty of cows to “come to town” long before the rancher had intended due to a lack of feed. Early weaning creates a challenge for the rancher, as they try and get these calves to a heavier weight before selling. When it comes to feeding light… Read More
As Anne Wasko, of the Gateway Livestock Exchange puts it, here in Canada “cattle slaughter has been outstanding.” Following some really good weeks, total Canadian harvests hit 72,400 this week, as Wasko explains in this week’s Beef Market Update. “Breaking that down into young cattle and cows, the steer and heifer kill is basically 63,000…. Read More
Drought this year has been a leading news item for several months. A run-up in cattle sales seem to be uncharacteristically large in volume for the time of year, but are there factors other than drought that are driving producers to forward sell? “The drought really forced the issue this year and I think that… Read More
As of August 20, 2021, Singapore has approved the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) certificate for the export of all beef, including beef offal, with no age restrictions. The change makes Singapore the first country to remove remaining Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) trade restrictions, following the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) recognizing Canada as… Read More
Canadian pork production is increasingly in demand around the world, which is why the Canadian Pork Council (CPC) is committing to policies that will support a value chain that supports growth, in the upcoming federal election. Rick Bergmann, CPC chair says that Canadian pork producers work hard every day to provide high quality, nutritious, affordable,… Read More