The May long weekend is the official kick off to the summer barbecue season, but the wet, cool weather trend doesn’t look like it’s going to let up for much of the country. Will this deter beef consumption? Will African swine fever’s impact on the hog markets boost beef retail sales through competitive pricing? Not… Read More
Spring has sprung in the cattle industry as ranchers focus on calving and feedyards spread manure. There are many moving parts right now for the beef industry including trade deals, consumer demand, and any ripple impacts on the protein complex due to African swine fever. On Thursday the USDA released its Cattle on Feed report… Read More
Rumours of pretty strong Canadian beef exporter numbers for early 2019 weren’t an exaggeration as Statistics Canada’s official numbers puts January exports at a pedal to the metal pace. Confirming what the market heard anecdotally, StatsCan says beef exports to the Asia region in January were up 22 per cent year-over-year. Japan accounted for a… Read More
There are oh-so-many factors at play in the oilseed complex, and the latest trade news (hi there, blocked canola shipments) does not bode well for the vegetable oil market. That said, soybean prices seemed to have encountered some price resistance at the mid-$9/bu price… could this be a bottom? Unfortunately, Chuck Penner, realist and founder… Read More
The USDA released its February 1st Cattle on Feed Report on Friday. According to the report, cattle and calves on feed in feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totalled 11.7 million head. The inventory was slightly above February 1, 2018. Placements in feedlots during January totalled 1.96 million head, 5 per cent below… Read More
Flipping the calendar at this time of year is less about leaving something behind and more about looking ahead — in this case, it’s on to planting and seeding. For areas of the southern U.S., time is already ticking and wet conditions are holding back planting, even while farmers in Ontario and parts of the… Read More
Every year in February, ag policy wonks, market followers, and politicians gather in Washington, D.C., for the USDA Outlook Forum. Not only does USDA release its forecasts for acres and production numbers, but the conversations also fill the hallways. Most years, the focus is on the fundamentals, but with so many trade patterns very cloudy… Read More
It’s a mid-week Beef Market Update, and although we always love and appreciate having Anne Wasko from the Gateway Livestock Exchange on the show, she says what she’s about to say might not make people too happy. Wasko says there’s two very different scenarios unfolding in the markets currently, and the good and the bad… Read More
How quickly the weather can turn, as just the beginning of this week the winter weather in Saskatchewan was mild — but by the end of the week, Anne Wasko, of the Gateway Livestock Exchange, was bundled up battling the deep freeze at the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference held in Regina. That’s where we kick off… Read More
Price fluctuations, higher input costs, and weather-related challenges over the past year took a toll on Canadian net cash income in 2018, and that lower to flat income is projected to continue into 2019, says agriculture economist J.P. Gervais. The chief agricultural economist for Farm Credit Canada says that, even so, the overall the long-term… Read More
To wrap up the year, RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney and Anne Wasko, of Gateway Livestock Exchange, take a look at the beef markets for the last time in 2018. It’s still a push to get to live cattle to get to $120/cwt by the end of the year says Wasko, adding that just last… Read More
Heavy lamb prices across Ontario sale barns have dipped steeply lower in the last three weeks, with year-over-year drops at some auctions over $0.30 (or more) a pound for the same weight class. While some seasonal dips are expected at this time of year, Ontario sheep farmers are also up against a much higher than… Read More
The days following a successful Donald Trump/Xi Jinping supper meeting were supposed to have been all about the launch of soybean futures. Instead of a drive higher following Saturday’s G20 dinner, the market has been timid at best and perhaps somewhat confusing, at first glance. On Tuesday’s RealAg Radio show, Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk,… Read More
It’s been a quiet week on the cash market. According to Anne Wasko, of Gateway Livestock Exchange, she calls it a bit of a “see-saw week” as the U.S. Thanksgiving weekend just wrapped up. “There’s bids out there that are kind of similar to last week, at $116 from southern U.S. cattle feeders, and $119 or higher, so… Read More
Late last month, Canada became the fifth country to ratify the CPTPP. Australia then ratified shortly thereafter, triggering the 60-day countdown to this international trade deal moving to implementation. CPTPP has huge potential for Canada’s beef industry, says John Masswohl, director of government and international relations for the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. “The clouds have parted and we… Read More