Some things change and some things just stay the same. Some things are predictable and some things are not. As expected carcass weights have peaked for the fall as the trend downwards has begun. While at the same time basis levels have been strong resulting in stronger pricing. According to Anne, pre-2003 basis levels were… Read More
The last seven years have not been kind to the income statement and balance sheet of the cattle feeder in Canada. With that has come a harsh reality for many small to mid €“sized feeders that were dealing at schedule one banks. Many on the schedule ones have decided to focus on the larger feeders… Read More
We thought it would be cool to do something for the Beef Market Update this week. This week I collected some questions from viewers and gave them to Anne. We are going to call it JUST ASK ANNE !!! We think that you will really like this segment and we plan to do it more… Read More
The American market is very important to the Canadian cattle industry. Domestic policies in the United States can greatly impact the Canadian industry. Just think about Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) and the discussion in Canada in terms of mitigating its impact. There are some proposed changes to GIPSA potentially coming and questions and several… Read More
After last weeks two posts on the Canada / EU free trade agreement I received several emails from people saying that they believe that this deal will provide limited benefit to the farmer or livestock producer in Canada. The NFU has been very vocal but I find it hard to take much that they say… Read More
Not since the early 2000’s have Canadian feedyards imported US feeder cattle in great numbers. Rumours are swirling that 2010 may be the year that this practice becomes popular again. There is no doubt that this will not sit well with Canadian ranchers due to the possible extra supply dragging down the current healthy calf… Read More
Canada has been working at increasing the access of Canadian beef into Europe for quite some time. If the EU / Canada free trade agreement is ratified later this year the benefits will be very positive for Canadian beef producers. Gaining access for hormone free beef into Europe will have large benefits for the industry… Read More
We have lots of cows in Canadian Agriculture, but we also have some sacred cows a well. One of these is the ability to shelter income through the cash method of reporting farming income. For those who don€™t know how this works, it is a simplistic formula whereby as long as you have more expenses than… Read More
With the US market moving higher this week, Canadian producers have also enjoyed some higher fat sales as well. Immediately the resulting question is whether or not there is follow through in this market or will the price slowly slide down. The United States has done well exporting beef this year with its weaker dollar…. Read More
Distiller dried grains (DDG’s) have quickly become a very important part of a beef ration and increasingly at dairies. Created by the ethanol industry DDG’s have allowed many livestock feeders to diversify the feeding ration. When DDG’s first came to the market the supply and delivery logistics of corn DDG’s to Canada was a major… Read More
Whether you have a dairy or a beef operation you have probably had to make the decision between a paddle mixer or auger feed box. Whether you own a Harsh, RotoMix or a Keenan you need to weight the benefits and disadvantages of each. What I tend to find in discussing this issue with many… Read More
In this weeks Beef Market Update Anne Dunford and I discuss the difficult market for feeders right now as cattle feeders await the arrival of the calf run. Limited calves have come to the market so far but the ones that have have a nice little premium attached. With a flat fat cattle market, weaker than… Read More
Animal activists often criticize that animal agriculture does not care for its livestock in a humane manner. Those of us in the industry realize that this is a ridiculous notion. At a dairy, animal care is ever more important due to the rule of “a happy cow produces more milk.” In the category of providing… Read More
The rancher has some decision making to do. Should I bring my calves to market, retain ownership feeding them or hold back the heifers for breeding stock? Everyone has an opinion on this topic but getting a definite conclusive opinion is very difficult. In reality we can only look at the market dynamics and see… Read More
One of my favourite things to do at a farm show is check out some of the cool new inventions that people have come up with. Most of the time the inventions really have limited scope and will provide little value to the greater farming community except for a few neighbours. But once in awhile… Read More
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