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

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

This years NCBA conference saw a more positive outlook from producers and industry members than there has been for a while. That outlook comes with some qualifiers as well as some questions that have to be answered as we look ahead to the rest of 2012. I spoke to Duane Lenz of CattleFax about the… Read More

If you’re in the cattle feeding business, you know how tight margins are. With feed costs continuing to be expensive and feeder prices looking toward potential record highs this year, the importance of improving feed efficiency becomes magnified. Watching cattle struggle through wet pens to get to that feed in the spring can be hard… Read More

If a person were to describe the overall mood of this year’s NCBA Conference, it would be descibed as price bullish and margin bearish. As we have mentioned before, it’s a cautious optimism for feeders and packers, which comes with a recognition of the volatility that producers have gone through and are also facing in the future…. Read More

 

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