Criteria for Canadian boxed beef reporting should be more comprehensive and a mandatory reporting system should be considered, says a new report. The recommendations come from a feasibility assessment of wholesale beef price reporting as Part B of the Alberta Beef Competitiveness Study. The findings were announced by Alberta Beef Producers (ABP), Alberta Cattle Feeders’… Read More
Author: RealAgriculture Livestock Team
Alberta Beef Producers (ABP), Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association (ACFA), and the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) have completed a resiliency report for Alberta’s meat processing sector as Part A of the Alberta Beef Competitiveness Study. The competitiveness study, titled “Building Resiliency in Alberta’s Beef Processing Industry,” was inspired by growing interest in diversifying and building capacity… Read More
There’s just over a month of consultation yet to go on the proposed changes to the Product of USA label, set out by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. From the outset, Canada’s beef and pork industries have been wary of what the label might mean for the integrated value… Read More
If you’ve been following along with the cattle markets, you’ll know the choice cut out has faced some extreme gains over the past five weeks. Naturally, it makes sense that the markets are going to take a bit of a breather, says Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange, but that doesn’t mean we are… Read More
Doing right by the environment is a good thing, but what happens when environmental policy and trade start to mingle? There’s concern that when environmental issues are generalized and applied globally through trade agreements it creates larger problems by forcing producers to fit standards that do not necessarily apply to their region, possibly discounting conservation… Read More
There’s no doubt that conversations have been buzzing in both the Canada and the U.S. when it comes to challenges and issues around electronic trucking logs. Electronic log book laws have been put in place, effective January 1, 2023, in effort to increase safety on the roads, which of course is the number one priority,… Read More
Believe it or not, winter is going to quickly come to an end, and cattle markets are picking up on this. As we pass mid-February, the seasonality in the cutout price is starting to pick up, says Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange, as we make it through the lull of January and February…. Read More
GEA has announced it is moving manufacturing of its rotary parlour platforms to Galesville, Wisconsin. Prior to this announcement, the components came from New Zealand; however increasing costs and disruptions in overseas shipping pushed the company to make the switch. This move makes their rotary milking structures the only ones in the industry that are… Read More
Cold weather calving is tricky and that can be compounded by rapidly changing weather conditions. Bringing cattle in to a new environment because of cold or wet weather can introduce a new management issue: pathogen spread. Gerald Stokka, the extension veterinarian at North Dakota State University, says that increased snowfall or wet weather means that… Read More
Nathan Phinney of New Brunswick has stepped into the role as the president to the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA). This appointment comes after the sudden passing of previous president in December, Reg Schellenberg. Phinney — the first president of the CCA from the Maritimes in 90 years — previously sat in the role as vice… Read More
Even though mandatory country of origin labeling (mCOOL) by the U.S. has been deemed non-compliant with America’s trade obligations at the World Trade Organization, there is a faction that still wants to see the rule brought back. Similar to the Canadian system, when a congressional session ends, bills that have not yet passed “die.” Now,… Read More
Sustainability is about three things: economics, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship. But how do you make that system better, rather than pitting ourselves against each other? That’s the message Dr. Sara Place, of Colorado State University (CSU), covered at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association conference being held this week at New Orleans, Louisiana. When looking… Read More
Members of the U.S. and North American cattle industry are meeting at New Orleans, Louisiana, right now attending the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) convention. RealAgriculture founder Shaun Haney is at the conference, and spoke with Colin Woodall, CEO of NCBA, about the priority topics at this year’s meeting. Cost of production is of course… Read More
Beginning in April, Canadian dairy producers will be able to compare the methane efficiency ratings of their dairy cattle. Lactanet Canada is launching the first-ever national genetic evaluation for methane efficiency, and the trait will be added to the list of traits evaluated for the Holstein breed. These genetic evaluations are used by Canadian producers… Read More
The Government of Saskatchewan has announced that rates paid by producers leasing Crown grazing land remain the same for 2023 and will not be increased. As well, growers leasing Crown land for grazing who have had to reduce stocking rates due to dry conditions are eligible to have rent reduced by up to 50 per… Read More