Imports of feed into southern Alberta since November have been unprecedented, but delays in shipments, of both corn and distillers’ dried grains (DDGs), from the U.S. have resulted in cattle feeders still having to scramble to find feed. As we reported earlier this week, many feedlots are waiting nervously for trains to arrive, with feed… Read More
Corn imports into Western Canada from the U.S. have risen dramatically following the 2021 drought, but cattle feeders in Alberta say unpredictable shipments are not keeping up with demand. In some cases, feedlots say they are scraping together the last of their feed supplies, and are banking on delayed trains still arriving in time to… Read More
Ontario veterinarians will be able to access a portion of up to $4 million for new, portal and virtual equipment. Funded through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the Livestock Veterinary Innovation Initiative is intended to increase the access options for veterinary care, especially in rural and northern Ontario. The province says the program will target investment… Read More
South Korea has announced it will end its almost month-long ban on buying Canadian beef. The ban lasted almost one month, after an atypical case of BSE was reported in a beef cow on an Alberta farm Dec. 17, 2021. South Korea closed its doors to Canadian beef on Dec. 21. This morning, South Korea… Read More
China and the Philippines have joined South Korea in temporarily suspending imports of Canadian beef following the discovery of an atypical case of BSE in an Alberta cow in mid-December. The Chinese customs administration has stopped issuing certificates for beef and beef products from Canada, while hides are still eligible for export, according to a… Read More
Along with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack and Attorney General Merrick Garland, U.S. President Joe Biden hosted a roundtable to address consolidation in the meat industry and the impacts on the cattle sector. President Biden opened the roundtable, held January 3, 2022, by mentioning the 50-14 proposed legislation by Tester/Grassley; how… Read More
On December 17, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed a case of an atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in an eight-and-a-half-year-old beef cow on a farm in Alberta. On December 21, South Korea announced it would be restricting Canadian beef imports due to the case. Dennis Laycraft, executive vice-president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association… Read More
Former federal Agriculture Minister Bob Speller has passed away at the age of 66. Speller (above left) was named Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food by Prime Minister Paul Martin in December 2003, during the Canadian cattle industry’s BSE crisis. He passed away on Dec. 16 at a care facility near Waterford, Ontario, following an illness. “Bob was… Read More
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed a case of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in an 8 and a half year old beef cow on a farm in Alberta. The CFIA notified the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) of the discovery — the first in Canada since 2015 — on December 17. The finding will… Read More
In November, John Barlow, MP for Foothills, was re-named to the position as the Conservatives’ shadow minister for agriculture. Among Barlow’s current priorities is the attention — or lack thereof — that country-of-origin labelling (COOL) is currently getting in Ottawa. As the conversations grow in strength with a bipartisan bill in the U.S. senate surrounding… Read More
UFCW Local 401 says its members who work at Cargill’s High River beef processing plant have voted 71 per cent in favour of the most recent agreement offered by Cargill, averting a strike or lockout that was set to begin December 6. The latest offer from Cargill included retroactive pay, signing bonuses, a 21 per… Read More
In this week’s Beef Market Update, Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange breaks down the beef markets, including what’s going on in the U.S., whether or not their tides have permanently turned for choice cut-outs and choice select prices, and how western Canadian numbers are faring in comparison. The U.S. didn’t take a lot… Read More
Cargill has served its unionized employees working at the High River processing facility with a lockout notice, set to begin at 12:01 am on December 6, 2021. The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401 had previously served Cargill with a strike notice with December 6 as the deadline. In a letter dated November 25,… Read More
Methane production naturally occurs in the stomachs of ruminant animals, such as beef cattle. Microbes work together to carry out the digestion of plant cell walls, and one of the end products of the process is methane (which often gets “burped” out, not “farted.”) Dr. Tim McAllister, research scientist in ruminant nutrition and microbiology at… Read More
When it comes to the beef industry and climate, mainstream headlines often paint the two as going in separate directions. The Canadian agriculture sector can feel attacked by policies and messaging, and as Fawn Jackson, director of policy and international affairs at the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), explains from Glasgow, Scotland at the 2021 United… Read More