Since closing its borders to beef from animals over thirty months (OTM) of age following the 2003 BSE finding in Canada, Japan has announced it will now import beef from animals of all ages. The ban, instituted in 2005, will be lifted for all importing countries, including Canada and the U.S. Japan is an important… Read More
Ontario sheep and cattle producers who work with many of the province’s independent meat processors could soon find themselves fully responsible for their livestock’s hides. In April, one of the few processing companies in the province that collects hides from small and medium-sized abattoirs, announced it was ceasing operations. It had been serving Ontario abattoirs… Read More
Time is running out for prairie producers to sign up for this year’s calf price insurance program. The sign up period began in early February and closes May 30, 2019. Bill Hoar, product owner with Western LPIP (livestock price insurance program), says that livestock producers can sign up over the phone, at a financial services… Read More
The May long weekend is the official kick off to the summer barbecue season, but the wet, cool weather trend doesn’t look like it’s going to let up for much of the country. Will this deter beef consumption? Will African swine fever’s impact on the hog markets boost beef retail sales through competitive pricing? Not… Read More
Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit has announced the winners for this year’s Agriculture Student Scholarship Program. The top prize winner receives a $4,000 scholarship towards agriculture-related post-secondary studies, while three runners up receive a $2,000 scholarship. This year’s grand prize winner is Caylee Dorval of Glaslyn. Dorval created a three-minute long video describing and showing… Read More
Quebec’s farmer union and its beef producers are calling on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to stop Beyond Meat from using the word “meat” when referring to its plant-based products, such as burgers and sausages, Quebec’s TVA Nouvelles reports. Beyond Meat launched its meat-alternative product line in Canada on May 1, 2019. L’Union des producteurs… Read More
Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) is consolidating its six feed production facilities in the Prairies into three. The three that are on the chopping block are the plants located in Brandon, Man., Melfort, Sask., and Edmonton, Alta. “While we don’t make these decisions lightly, by consolidating manufacturing and taking measures to refocus our resources in the… Read More
For those who handle the grocery shopping in the household, you might be surprised to hear that recent run ups in grocery store prices are somewhat of an anomaly. As Kevin Grier, with KG Market Analysis and Consulting explains, price inflation of grocery items has actually been low to negative in the past few years,… Read More
The Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA), along with the South of the Divide Conservation Action Program Inc. (SODCAP), has received US$250,000 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). The money will be used to implement results-based conservation agreements with beef producers. “This NFWF grant demonstrates that our beef producers in Saskatchewan are actively engaged… Read More
Corn, wheat, barley — you know starch is an essential component of cattle diets, but do you know why? Is wheat an easy swap out for barley in a ration? Is it worth buying steam-flaked corn? In this episode of the Beef School, Karen Beauchemin, with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at Lethbridge, lays out what… Read More
In this week’s Beef Market Update, Gateway Livestock Exchange’s Anne Wasko joins host Lyndsey Smith to talk about fed cattle markets, Canadian beef production demand, protein markets, and price insurance. “Usually by May, we can safely say in about eight or nine years out of ten, you’ve likely placed the highs for our fed cattle… Read More
Whether you’re spraying fungicides on corn, soybeans or cereals, the application can deliver a solid return on investment if it suppresses disease and builds and protects yield potential. The story is the same for alfalfa, says BASF business representative and agronomist Ken Currah. He says livestock farmers are looking for yield and protein to make… Read More
Assiniboine Community College, at Brandon, Man.,, is getting a new Food Processing Centre for Animal Proteins (FPC) thanks to funding from the provincial and federal governments along with industry stakeholders. A combined $640,000 is earmarked to complete construction of the centre. “The Food Processing Centre will allow Assiniboine to be responsive to the workforce development… Read More
Four major meat packing businesses in the Unites States are facing a lawsuit from the Ranchers Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF). The companies include Tyson Foods, Inc., JBS S.A., Cargill, Inc., and National Beef Packing Company, LLC which are labelled as the “Big 4” in the court documents. Scott+Scott Attorneys at… Read More
With the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill in the United States, the hemp industry is looking for a major boom for the crop. Long looked upon as a food and fibre play, hemp’s latest opportunity is CBD. According to a CNN Business story Carl’s Jr planned to test a CBD-infused burger on April 20th… Read More