The latest USDA Cattle on Feed report shows once again that the “wall” of cattle was not an unreasonable description. Thankfully, sustained consumer demand has helped greatly. The June report met expectations and further confirms what a bulk of analysts have been talking about the entire 2018 marketing year. Anne Wasko, with Gateway Livestock Exchange… Read More
Category: Livestock
Alberta-based Canada Gold Beef Ltd, owners of SunGold Specialty Meats Ltd., and the Canada Gold Lamb Lot have announced the merger of their lamb operations with that of Fresh Canada Meats Ltd, the majority shareholder of Manitoba-based Canada Sheep and Lamb Farms Ltd. Fresh Canada Meats is a wholly owned Canadian subsidiary of Integrated Foods… Read More
It was a big week for the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) and McDonald’s Canada. McDonald’s Canada says it will soon become the first company in Canada to serve beef from Canadian farms and ranches that are “certified sustainable.” Many of the beef producers participating in the pilot project are very excited about the… Read More
It’s been a volatile couple of weeks in cattle futures, with the market giving back most of last week’s gains in the last few days. Meanwhile, cash prices in Western Canada have remained strong, reports Anne Wasko in this latest Beef Market Update, with average prices for fed cattle getting back into the mid-150s in Alberta…. Read More
The news on Monday about the Schuurmans and the tragic collision on the Canadian Milk Tour near Saskatoon was devastating. This is clearly a situation that comes with shock, surprise, and sadness. In reflection of the events, it really hits home for me that life can be so fragile. My takeaway from this event is… Read More
Canada imports more than half the lamb it consumes, which spells opportunity for our sheep farmers, but that opportunity isn’t the easiest to capitalize on. In the interview below, Marc Carere, vice chair of Ontario Sheep Farmers, talks to Shaun Haney about the tremendous amount of potential — but also incredible challenges —of this still-maturing… Read More
McDonald’s Canada says it will soon become the first company in Canada to serve Canadian beef from farms and ranches that are “certified sustainable.” The restaurant chain will introduce the sustainability claim with its Angus burger lineup, and is expecting to sell more than 20 million Angus burgers sourced according to these standards in the… Read More
Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay announced up to $14 million in funding for beef and forage research under the new Canadian Agricultural Partnership while attending the Calgary Stampede on Wednesday. The funding for the new “Sustainable Beef and Forage Science Cluster” will go to the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) — the research division of… Read More
Hay crops can be tricky when it comes to agronomic considerations. Unlike annual crops, hay breaks dormancy, continues to grow and then mature after cutting, and eventually needs to rest up to go dormant again. The unique characteristics of perennials means that fertility is needed at different times of year than most are used to,… Read More
An Ontario farm couple’s cross-country tractor tour to show support for Canada’s dairy sector has ended in tragedy on a highway northwest of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The tractor driven by Henk and Bettina Schuurmans, dairy farmers from Elmira, Ontario, collided with a semi on Highway 16 near Dalmeny on Monday at around 9 am. Bettina, 55,… Read More
Questions are being raised about the connection between wild ducks in Ontario, an emerging avian virus, and egg production drop in a turkey breeder flock in the province. A research team, including Ontario Veterinary College pathobiology professor Claire Jardine, found 22 per cent of almost 400 live wild ducks sampled from 23 Ontario lakes tested… Read More
Ranchers around Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba reached a long-awaited milestone on Sunday, more than 20 years after the U.S. implemented bovine tuberculosis (TB) testing requirements and restrictions on cattle headed south. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has lifted the pre-export testing requirement for breeding cattle and bison coming from Manitoba, as of July… Read More
In a statement that some people will consider a surprise, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard mentioned to Bloomberg that Canada may want to consider appeasing the U.S. by changing its class 7 pricing system. According to a story in the Financial Post the Premier said, “If that’s the main issue, let us see how we can… Read More
The news Kicking off the Ontario portion of his cross-country summer tour, Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced $844,000 for Egg Farmers of Ontario at a farm in St. Ann’s on Tuesday. The funds will be used to assist in the development of an electronic scan to determine the gender and fertility of… Read More
There are likely few sentences that strike fear in the hearts of livestock producers quite like, “The CFIA called. They’re coming for a meeting.” That’s exactly what happened here last week, and, admittedly, my first inclination was to freak out. Fearing the worst (an audit on two days notice is the stuff of nightmares), I… Read More