Advanced grazing can be summed up in one word: GRASS. But we’re not talking the actual grass, we’re talking about the GRASS principles of advanced grazing. In this episode of the Farming Forward video series, Steve Kenyon of Greener Pastures Ranching, explains the principle that stands for: G – Graze period R – Rest period A… Read More
Author: RealAgriculture Livestock Team
We know the Canadian cattle herd has been shrinking, but by how much? In this week’s Beef Market Update, Anne Wasko shares the January 1, 2024 Canadian cattle inventory numbers and provides some context on not only what it means for the current beef and dairy cow herd, but also how the inventory breaks-down by… Read More
Farmers sitting on unpriced grain aren’t going to love this week’s market report from Neil Townsend, market analyst with Grainfox. But not liking it doesn’t change the facts: there’s plenty of grain out there and buyers know they can get what they need at a lower price than many want to accept. Townsend, in this conversation… Read More
There’s a growing problem in rural and remote areas of Ontario. A lack of large animal veterinarians is looming for the region, and the problem will only get worse without strategies to address the impending issue. Already, farmers and ranchers have identified that large distances and too few vets makes proper veterinary care expensive. Now,… Read More
The cattle markets took a little breather this week, down from some of the highs set in January. It’s not unexpected for the time of year, says Anne Wasko with the Gateway Livestock Exchange, in this week’s Beef Market Update. Wasko hits on the latest round of cattle prices in the U.S. and Canada, before… Read More
After decades of trending smaller, rebuilding North America’s cow herd will not begin until 2025 at the earliest, according to a new report from Rabobank’s senior animal protein analyst. One of the challenges that needs to be overcome to rebuild a resilient supply chain is the boom-bust nature of each segment, from the cow-calf producer… Read More
There were major files up for discussion this week at the trilateral meeting of cattle industry representatives from Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. Dennis Laycraft, executive vice president of the Canadian Cattle Association, was on hand representing Canada’s interest at the meeting, tackling the biggest policy and political issues facing the industry. Shaun Haney met… Read More
The Canadian cattle industry and the U.S. cattle industry are intertwined, perhaps unlike any other agriculture commodity in North America. Calves, cattle, and beef all move south — and north — depending on economics, demand, and the weather. For this reason, what happens in the U.S. beef market has a major impact on the Canadian market… Read More
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has approved 3-Nitrooxypropanol, known as 3NOP, for use in Canada. 3NOP is a livestock feed ingredient aimed at reducing methane emissions from cattle. The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) says that it and the National Cattle Feeders’ Association (NCFA) have consistently advocated for new innovations such as methane-reducing feed ingredients to… Read More
It’s a tough lesson in farming and ranching: learning lessons on what doesn’t work can be expensive and time consuming. That’s why knowledge transfer, peer-to-peer sharing, and mentorship can have a huge positive impact on those trying something new. For Grant Lastiwka, rancher at Innisfail, Alta., the Grazing Mentorship Program supported by Farmers for Climate… Read More
The first three months of the calendar year aren’t historically much to write home about for the cattle markets, and this first week of January 2024 is living up to the ho-hum expectation. There’s still plenty to be watching, however, and Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Exchange says that ample supplies of beef are definitely… Read More
Cattle are still bought, sold, and processed over the holiday season, but it’s typically a quieter time for bids and prices. Still, there’s plenty to talk about as we head towards the twilight zone of the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. In this earlier-than-usual edition of the Beef Market Update, Shaun Haney and… Read More
Putting cover crops to work on Randy Tkachyk’s farm means keeping soil covered, growing winter feed for cattle, and providing grazing opportunities for those cattle well in to the fall. Tkachyk grows a diverse cover crop mix on his farm near Sundown, Man., as a means to manage risk against the growing season. A 15-way… Read More
Environment and Climate Change Canada has published its draft protocol for Reducing Enteric Methane Emissions from Beef Cattle (REME protocol). This is the fourth draft protocol under Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Offset Credit System, following those for refrigeration, landfill methane (completed), and forestry (in draft). The REME protocol is intended to “incentivize farmers to implement changes… Read More
Fat cattle markets in the U.S. headed down this week, at $3-$4 lower in the south, reflecting a larger downward trend since price peaks hit in September, says Anne Wasko in this week’s edition of the Beef Market Update. Western Canadian action was pretty quiet this week, with not a pile of volume in terms… Read More