Every cowboy or cowgirl needs to make sure that they look good. Whether you are headed to church or on horseback on the ranch in East End, Saskatchewan, you need a cowboy hat that makes a statement about yourself. At NCBA 2012 in Nashville, my ranching friend Barry decided that he needed a new cowboy… Read More
Category: Cattle
Running a ranch can be tough work in the large open space of Western Canada. Animals get spread out, the landscape doesn’t allow you to get close to the animals always and labor is hard to come by. This is where the where the PNEU-DART System comes into play. Now the PNEU-DART does come with… Read More
In this episode of the Beef Market Update, we break down the latest U.S., Alberta and Saskatchewan Cattle on Feed reports. As far as the reports go, there are no big surprises with numbers up 3% in both. What do those aggressive placements mean for numbers come summer? What kind of lows can we expect… Read More
There can be no underestimating the importance of a mentor in your life. Head knowledge is important, but the ability to apply that knowledge in the right way is something only life can teach you. Being able to walk with someone who’s been there can provide you with all of the benefits of that experience…. Read More
Depending on how many cattle you feed and what stage those cattle are at, the silage pit can be your second home during the day. It can also be a very dangerous place depending on how high that pile is. Typically if your pile is high, you end up creating a cliff when you dig… Read More
Feedlot owners know the importance of getting cattle in and out in the shortest available time. Feed efficiency is a critical aspect of that cycle that has to be looked at from every possible angle, especially considering costs associated with that feed. One of the angles that should be looked at is how that feed… Read More
I am not surprised by the decision that has been made by the US government to appeal the recent decision by the World Trade Organization. Many American producers and packers were hoping that the government would not appeal but the level of shock should be low. The American Farm Bureau and the NCBA recently passed… Read More
The North American cattle market has been very strong this spring. Without a doubt producers in the U.S. and Canada are nervously waiting to see where the market will go following the peak. Feed grain production, especially corn will have a major influence on the feeder side. The other player continues to be the weather,… Read More
The current beef-trade relationship between the U.S. and Canada is the best it’s been in a long time. That’s good. We do a lot of business with the U.S. and from a geographical perspective, there is a “convenience factor” that will always keep that relationship somewhat open no matter the issue. However, even with that… Read More
The cattle feeder is in the business of managing cattle feed intake and feed efficiency. It’s a make or break venture that operates on getting cattle to convert feed to mass as quickly and efficiently as possible. It’s a process that in recent years has had some tight margins associated with it, making feed efficiency… Read More
One of the questions on every producers mind is, “How long can these prices continue?” Looking at the demand side, we don’t see any real indication beside the seasonal dips that regularly occur. On the skeptical side however, whenever we have an extended run like this we have a tendency to wait for the other… Read More
With last weeks expected sale of the Viterra Livestock Division to Hi-Pro Feeds LP the feed industry in Canada has changed in Western Canada. Hi-Pro will be owned by Birch Hill Equity Partners and the employees of the company. In the press release Viterra said that the sale was initiated for strategic reasons. Viterra is… Read More
Cattle producers and industry members from the U.S., Canada and beyond gathered at NCBA 2012 to talk about the state of the industry, the triumphs and the challenges. As we look further ahead into 2012, the challenges for the margin operator don’t seem to get any easier. In fact, you could say that it looks… Read More
The World Trade Organization’s ruling on the country of origin labelling (COOL) legislation brought some small sense of victory to the Canadian beef industry. The excitement over that victory was short-lived however as producers realized that any tangible results stemming from that ruling would be a long way off. The potential for an appeal by… Read More
With over 200 days of travel as the President of NCBA, Bill Donald has been busy. Donald has reign at the top of NCBA at a time that has been very good for Canada / United States trade relations. With Canada shipping fat cattle south and Canada purchasing one billion dollars of US beef… Read More