Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets were steady to $4 lower while calves were steady to $2 higher. Barley prices have jumped $3-$6 per tonne over the past week, with winter conditions hindering off-farm logistics. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle in the range of $149-$150 last week; however, in Nebraska, fed cattle […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market sends mixed signals
Klassen: Winter conditions weigh on feeder market
Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were relatively unchanged from week-ago levels. The major feeding regions from Alberta to the U.S. Midwest and southern Plains have all experienced severe storms and extreme temperatures. The forecast for southern Alberta calls for lows of -25 to -32 C over the next seven days. Auction markets have a few […] Read more
Taking the bull by the horns
Western Canada’s beef producers have taken control of their industry, achieving a level of stability that seemed gone forever. Here’s part of that story
Reading Time: 8 minutes Statistically, at least, it seems the long, sharp decline in Western Canada’s cattle business has stabilized. To say it’s closing the book on one of the most momentous stories in the entire history of Canadian agriculture (or for that matter, of agriculture anywhere in the world) is perhaps going too far. But it’s been an […] Read more
Ontario beef checkoff to rise by $1.50
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ontario beef farmers have approved an increase of $1.50 in checkoff per animal to fund an ambitious industry-wide marketing effort for Ontario beef. Producers at the Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) annual meeting in Mississauga on Wednesday voted 87 per cent in favour of the plan. A similar plan was rejected at last year’s annual […] Read more
‘Tinder for cows’ matches livestock in mood for love
Reading Time: 2 minutes Petersfield, England | Reuters — A Tinder-inspired app is helping farmers match up potential partners for their cattle. Called “Tudder” — a mix of dating app Tinder and udder — it lets farmers swipe right on cattle they like the look of. They are then directed to a page on the SellMyLivestock website where they […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle succumb to negative margins
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta fed cattle prices have dropped nearly $15 over the past three weeks. Feedlot margins are deep in red ink, with losses amounting to $200-250 per head. Compared to last week, yearlings and calves over 700 lbs. traded $3-$5 lower; calves under 700 lbs. were down $5-$8 with some feeder markets in Alberta dropping as […] Read more
The right time
For Brian and Joanne Keunen, off-farm experience created an eye for opportunity. But what really paved the way for Mapleview Agri came from the generations innovating how to work together
Reading Time: 9 minutes Like many newly minted high school grads, when he turned 18 years old Brian Keunen went off to college. His choice? Centralia College in southwestern Ontario. His goal? To get a diploma in agriculture, and then to return to the family dairy farm near Drayton, an hour and a half west of Toronto, where he […] Read more
Klassen: Fed cattle weakness pressures yearlings
Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian yearlings and calves over 700 lbs. traded steady to $3 lower on average. Weakness in the fed cattle market weighed on the heavier replacements. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle at $155 on a live basis, down $7 from the highs seven days earlier. Barley prices were up $3-$5 […] Read more
Unusual third assessment run for livestock tax deferrals
Reading Time: 2 minutes In an unusual move, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has undertaken a third assessment for the federal livestock tax deferral. “Federal officials are currently finalizing the analysis to identify whether any additional regions have met the criteria for the livestock tax deferral,” AAFC spokesperson James Watson said. Under the deferral plan, cattle producers affected by severe […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market easily absorbs adverse weather
Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder markets were relatively unchanged from week-ago levels but there were a couple of unique characteristics in certain regions. Quality yearling packages were $2-$4 higher in Alberta but fleshier replacements were discounted. Eastern Prairie regions had grass cattle under 600 lbs. trading $3 to as much as $8 above week-ago levels. Order buyers […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
