Reading Time: 2 minutes Major Canadian steakhouse chain The Keg is set to merge into Cara Operations, the parent for dining chains such as Swiss Chalet, Harvey’s, St-Hubert and Milestones, in a $200 million cash-and-stock deal. The two companies said Tuesday a merger will afford them “synergistic opportunities in marketing, real estate and overall costs that will help further […] Read more
The Keg to merge into Swiss Chalet, Harvey’s parent
Klassen: Feeder market continues to soften
Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, yearlings and heavier calves traded $6 to as much as $10 lower. Colder temperatures, along with lacklustre feedlot demand, set a negative tone early in the week. The downward spiral caused the market to be quite variable across the Prairies. It was not uncommon to see 800- to 850-lb. steers trade […] Read more
JBS to shed U.S. feedlot chain
Reading Time: 2 minutes The remaining feedlots in meat packing giant JBS’s Five Rivers Cattle Feeding business, the world’s biggest cattle feeding operation, have found a buyer. JBS on Wednesday announced a deal to sell the U.S.-based assets of Five Rivers to affiliates of New York-based Pinnacle Asset Management for about US$200 million. The deal gives Pinnacle 11 feedlots […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market lacks demand in new tax year
Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle traded $8-$10 lower while U.S. prices were also down $5-$10 from week-ago levels. The feeder market appeared to short-circuit after I thought the market was charged to move higher in last week’s report. Feedlot operators and cattle feeders saturated their demand prior to the New Year and […] Read more
TPP seen critical for beef sales growth in Japan
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canadian beef producers could be out millions of dollars in new exports if Canada is shut out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Why is it important? Beef exports, especially from Ontario, have been growing significantly to Japan and elsewhere in Asia. Allowing other competitors such as Mexico and New Zealand better access to that market, […] Read more
Klassen: Fed cattle market leads feeders higher
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta packers were buying fed cattle in the range of $280-$282 delivered on a dressed basis, which equates to $168-$171 on a live basis. Yearlings bought last summer are bringing back $150-$180 margin, which has reinforced buying enthusiasm. Western Canadian yearlings traded $3 to as much as $8 above week-ago levels; calves were relatively unchanged […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME cattle drop daily limit on lower cash market sales
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell sharply on Friday and hit daily trading limits on weaker cash market prices and easing concerns that frigid weather in feedlot areas could disrupt marketings. Fund selling, or “rolling,” of lead-month positions into deferred months ahead of similar moves early next week added pressure. […] Read more
Brazil expects to be declared free of foot-and-mouth with vaccination
Reading Time: < 1 minute Brazil | Reuters – Brazil expects the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) to declare the country free from foot-and-mouth disease with vaccinations at a meeting in May, according to a government statement on Friday. The declaration will bolster the country’s prospects to export meat to new markets, the statement said. The OIE already considers […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME cattle dip on mild Plains outlook, East Coast snow
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures turned lower on Thursday in a technical selling and profit-taking setback and on concerns of a slowdown in beef demand in the storm-hit eastern United States, traders said. A winter storm continued its march up the U.S. East Coast on Thursday, with blizzard warnings from […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs turn up on cash, wholesale pork prices
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs finished higher on Wednesday after stronger cash and wholesale pork prices pared some of Tuesday’s losses, said traders. Funds periodically sold, or “rolled,” lead-month positions into deferred months ahead of similar moves early next week. Monday will be the first of five days that funds in […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
