A farmer’s dream

A farmer’s dream

As WWI raged on across Europe, one Canadian solider dreamed of returning home to a ranching future

Reading Time: 2 minutes British Columbia’s Ardill Ranch was awarded a Century Farm designation in 2020. Renee Ardill, who was featured in the March 5 issue of Farm & Family (powered by Country Guide), recounts her family’s ranch history below. “My ranch started in 1920 when my grandfather, Jack Ardill, settled here,” says Renee Ardill, owner of Ardill Ranch […] Read more

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Klassen: Strong demand underpins Western Canadian feeder market

Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending February 28, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were unchanged from seven days earlier. Calves may have traded $5-$10/cwt higher at some locations. Feeding margins have improved over the past week with Southern Alberta pen-closeouts now hovering near breakeven. Ontario feedlot margins are in positive territory by $20-$40/head. At the Ponoka video […] Read more


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Klassen: Feeder Cattle Market Waits For Direction

Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending January 31, Western Canadian feeder markets were relatively unchanged from seven days earlier. Adverse weather in southern Alberta may have tempered buying interest for lighter weight calves.  Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis in the range of $508-$510 per hundredweight delivered, steady to $2/cwt higher than last […] Read more

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Klassen: Western Canadian calf prices ratchet higher

Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending January 24, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $10/cwt lower to $10/cwt higher compared to seven days earlier. The market was quite variable depending on flesh conditions and genetic quality. Prices for backgrounded yearlings or fall placed calves were steady to $5 higher on larger packages on controlled weight gain diets; […] Read more






A cow in the auction ring at the Gladstone Auction Mart in October 2025.  Photo: Greg Berg

Klassen: Feeder market near historical highs

Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending January 17, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $5/cwt lower to $10/cwt higher compared to the week ending January 10. The market was quite variable across the Prairies with weather conditions influencing the price structure. Overall, there was very strong demand with Ontario and Southern Alberta feedlots aggressively working to secure […] Read more



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Klassen: Feeder market poised to strengthen

Reading Time: 2 minutes There were no feeder cattle sales in Western Canada for the week ending January 3. However, there were some sales in the U.S. and the Canadian markets will follow suit once activity returns to normal. For example, at the Ozarks Regional Stockyards in West Plains, Missouri, weaned and vaccinated steers and heifers over 750 pounds […] Read more