Reading Time: 2 minutes Crown-held native prairie and other grasslands held for wildlife conservation in Saskatchewan will be opened up to ranchers needing grazing land for cattle in dry areas. Environment Minister Herb Cox announced Tuesday the province will make about 90,000 acres of Fish and Wildlife Development Fund (FWDF) land available to cattle producers. The same grazing lease […] Read more
Sask. to open protected grasslands for grazing
Rain sprinkles Prairie canola fields, pastures
Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg | Reuters — Light rains sprinkled Western Canada’s crops and pastures during the weekend, but amounts fell well short of what’s needed to remedy dry conditions that have stunted growth, analysts said Monday. Rains were scattered across the Prairies and similar light amounts are expected during the next two weeks, Commodity Weather Group said […] Read more
U.S. sees El Nino as near-certain to last through summer
Reading Time: 2 minutes New York | Reuters — The El Nino climate phenomenon is almost certain to last through the Northern Hemisphere summer, the U.S. weather forecaster said, raising the chance of heavy rain in the southern U.S. as well as South America, and scorching heat in Asia that could devastate crops of thirsty food staples like rice. […] Read more
Cow-calf producers asked to take survey
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) is asking every cow-calf producer in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to complete the Western Canadian Cow-Calf survey. The deadline to complete the survey is Feb. 28. It can be filled out online but the website also provides an option to print the survey and mail it postage-free. First […] Read more
Merck takes steps to return Zilmax to cattle market
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Merck & Co. is taking steps to resume sales of its controversial cattle feed additive Zilmax by changing the way the drug is administered, hoping to recapture some market share in the beef industry, where the U.S. herd has the fewest animals in more than 60 years. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration […] Read more
Klassen — feeder cattle market reflects mixed tone
Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle prices reflected a mixed tone over the past week with values $3 to $5 higher on vaccinated preconditioned calves; unvaccinated calves just off their mothers were $3/cwt to as much as $10/cwt lower in some cases. Yearling prices were also quite variable by as much as $10/cwt despite the tightening supply […] Read more
High-priced calves drop U.S. July cattle placements by 7 pct
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — The number of cattle placed in U.S. feedlots in July dropped 7.0 per cent from a year ago as pricey calves deterred some feedlots from purchasing them for fattening, a government report showed on Friday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture report showed July placements at 1.560 million head, down 7.0 per cent from […] Read more
LIVESTOCK: CME live cattle futures climb before USDA report
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher on Friday, supported by positioning before the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s monthly Cattle-On-Feed report at 2 p.m. CDT (1900) GMT. Analysts expect the report to show fewer cattle entered feedlots in July as expensive calves discouraged some feedyards from buying them. On Friday, USDA will […] Read more
LIVESTOCK: CME live cattle end lower, but off session bottoms
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures settled lower on Friday, partly pressured by residual profit-taking and fund liquidation after Thursday’s deep losses, traders said. However, futures closed off morning lows following initial reports of a less-than-expected decline in the price for market-ready, or cash, cattle. “Judging by big futures losses on Thursday and […] Read more
LIVESTOCK: CME live cattle fall, pressured by equities tumble
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts closed sharply lower on Thursday, pulled down by the stock market’s sheer drop caused by European deflation and Argentina default worries. Wall Street investors dumped long positions across a broad range of commodities, including CME livestock futures, an analyst said. Global economic jitters could undermine consumer confidence, which could […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
