Weather for the last half of this winter will likely be much different than what farmers and ranchers experienced in 2024. That’s because the pattern has flipped from the El Nino-influenced conditions of 2024 to a La Nina influence for 2025, says Matt Makens of Makens Weather. In this report, he shares his take on the… Read More
Category: Cattle
In the spring of 2024, H5N1, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus, began to emerge as a disease that was impacting dairy cattle. Since that time, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) has been working to establish the safety of the food chain, specifically for meat and milk. While research is ongoing to answer questions… Read More
Members of the cattle industry from Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. met Monday for a trilateral meeting while in San Antonio for the National Cattleman’s Beef Association’s annual CattleCon. Nathan Phinney, president of the Canadian Cattle Association, and Dennis Laycraft, executive vice president sat down with RealAgriculture’s Lyndsey Smith on location following the meeting to unpack… Read More
Coming off some near-month contract highs of $200-/+ it’s no surprise to see futures falling as the week closes out, but cash cattle in the south ticked higher as they caught up to northern prices this past week (Check out the related story on cattle futures here). The cutout did show signs of weakening in… Read More
How often is it said that farming is a lifestyle? Sometimes it is a hard one, it’s sometimes frustrating, but often also rewarding in more ways than just money. While it is a lifestyle, farms and ranches are also businesses with high-stakes financial decisions required on a regular basis. With cattle prices hitting record highs,… Read More
The federal government’s On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF) is poised to run for at least another three years with $300 million in federal funding. While the dollar amount was previously known, Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay formally announced the funding for the OFCAF initiative through 2027-28 on Tuesday. The fund, along with other Agriculture and Agri-Food… Read More
It was a very lofty week for live cattle futures, as February and April contracts crossed $200 per contract for the first time. Driven by tightening supplies and strong demand by consumers around the world, beef has seen exceptional price appreciation. “Cash cattle markets traded above $200 average last week for the first time ever,”… Read More
If Denver’s National Western Stock Show is the Super Bowl of cattle shows, then Harvie Ranching at Olds, Alta is coming home with a Super Bowl ring. As Jill Harvie discusses in the interview below, the ranch’s Hereford bulls took the National Champion Carload honours at the show held this week, after coming in as… Read More
The Dairy Processing Modernization Initiative is a joint Canada-Ontario program with a total funding availability of $7.18 million through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The initiative is over 90 per cent subscribed, but that means that applications are still being accepted for the remaining funding. To date, 70 projects across Ontario have been funded. Projects… Read More
Grazing corn is becoming increasingly more common. So is grazing cover crops. But what happens when you put the two together? How wide should the corn rows be in order to make space for the cover crop? And is this a profitable way of farming? Byron Long of Long Family Farm at Barrhead County, Alberta… Read More