Cattle markets, led by the futures in Chicago, took another tumble this week. “It’s been discouraging, disappointing, but again markets have shown us this this fall, when they make a move, it tends to be pretty violent or erratic,” says Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock in this latest Beef Market Update. “We don’t seem to move… Read More
Category: Meat Markets
Manitoba’s newest slaughter plant is up and running, although the facility north of Carman is still waiting for the stamp that would make it the first federally-inspected plant in the province with significant beef capacity in three decades. True North Foods is currently processing 80 to 100 head of cattle and bison per week, with… Read More
We’re not entirely sure how the Beef Market Update started and ended with turkey and the Jays, but the real meat of this week’s podcast centres around how fed cattle prices have dropped, with both the feeder and calf markets following suit. On what we can expect for the rest of the year in the… Read More
It’s an interesting market for beef producers. While fed cattle are still struggling to find their market low, feeder animals are well above last year’s prices. And cow/calf producers may be feeling relieved, but will good margins be enough to persuade herd expansion? We hand Shaun Haney a bar of soap for this mid-September edition of the Beef… Read More
Where were we just one year ago? The Canadian dollar sat at 92 cents U.S. and cattle prices were at all-time highs. Those price levels have since been passed, to everyone’s surprise, but the dollar has taken an absolute beating in just a year’s time. Anne Wasko, of Gateway Livestock, joins RealAgriculture’s Lyndsey Smith for… Read More
The closure of two packing plants in Ontario last year has forced producers to look for hook space at processors outside the province. The uncertainty in demand is hurting confidence in the industry, suggests Guelph-based livestock and meat market analyst Kevin Grier. At the start of 2014, Ontario’s federally-inspected slaughter capacity stood at around 95,000 head… Read More
As summer begins its last hurrah and ranchers anticipate the fall run, the underlying factors of supply and demand are still supporting cattle prices. But very large, global shifts in markets and economic stability are causing all sorts of fallout for grain and oil markets — how long before those macro trends pressure cattle prices?… Read More
It’s tough to talk about the cattle markets and not focus solely on the demand side which, if we’re being honest, has been nothing short of impressive. But price is a function of two components — supply being the balance to demand. While Canada’s beef herd continues to contract, ranchers in the United States have… Read More
The Canadian Pork Council is exploring the feasibility of a hedging program to help hog producers manage price volatility and cash flow needs. Bev Shipley, MP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex and chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced federal funding of up to $169,530 for the project through the federal AgriRisk Initiatives program on Friday. “I… Read More
Anyone with an eye on mainstream media or the meat shelves in the grocery store won’t be surprised to hear that the average beef retail price has hit another record high, weighing in at $19.69/kg. “That’s up 3% from last month, but more importantly i think — this is what people are going to hone into… Read More
Rain doesn’t just make grain, it makes beef too, and much of Saskatchewan and Alberta is in desperate need of moisture to support the cattle out on grass. In this episode of the almost-in-person Beef Market Update, Anne Wasko, of Gateway Livestock, and Shaun Haney, of RealAgriculture, cover some serious ground, from the possible repealing… Read More
The Canadian Pork Council has published a study outlining not only what Canadian hog producers stand to gain from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but more significantly, what the Canadian hog sector would lose if Canada isn’t part of the multi-lateral trade deal. While the TPP negotiations currently include 12 countries, for Canadian hog producers, the deal… Read More
It’s been a big week for the beef industry, with news that the World Trade Organization has ruled against Country of Origin Labeling for a fourth and final time and the subsequent — almost immediate — introduction and approval of a bill to repeal it by the U.S. House Agriculture Committee. But, what does all of… Read More
Update on May 20th: The U.S. House Agriculture Committee, as expected, approved Chair Michael Conoway’s bill to repeal COOL on Wednesday morning by a vote of 38-6. It’s expected the entire House will vote on it in early June. The final ruling from the World Trade Organization against U.S. mandatory country of origin labeling and the threat… Read More
The World Trade Organization has once again sided with Canada and Mexico, as the WTO Appellate Body published a fourth and final ruling on U.S. country of origin labeling rules today. The appeal panel decision affirmed earlier rulings saying COOL illegally discriminates against foreign livestock (read the report and findings here). “The United States has used and… Read More