Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rallied about 1.5 percent on Tuesday on fund buying and stronger cash cattle and beef prices, traders said. Frigid temperatures in U.S. Plains cattle producing areas also supported futures as such weather could slow down cattle weight gains, making them less available to packers. Actively […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME cattle rally on higher cash, beef prices
Klassen: Feeder market remains firm into 2018
Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle markets experienced limited activity over the past week because most auction barns were closed for the holiday season. There was some reported activity in certain regions such as central Alberta and prices were relatively unchanged from seven days earlier. Frigid temperatures tempered buying activity. Feedlots in the nearby area of the […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market ends 2017 on positive tone
Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $2 to as much as $6 higher. Moderate to stronger buying interest was noted across the Prairies. Once again, feedlot operators were fairly aggressive on quality yearling packages; semi-weaned and weaned calves were a solid $3-$5 higher while unweaned lighter calves experienced minimal price appreciation. […] Read more
Loans pledged for wildfire-damaged Alberta farms
Reading Time: < 1 minute Ranchers and farmers in two southeastern Alberta municipalities hit by wildfire in mid-October may soon be able to apply for interest-free rebuilding loans. The province’s Agriculture Financial Services Corp. (AFSC) on Wednesday announced loan applications will be available Jan. 8 for eligible producers in Cypress County and the MD of Acadia. Applications under the Hilda […] Read more
U.S. feedlot cattle placements bigger than expected
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Ranchers drove 13.9 per cent more cattle into U.S. feedlots in November than the same time a year ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported on Friday. The result exceeded the high end of the range of analysts’ forecasts, partly fueled by low feed prices in the wake of this fall’s […] Read more
Bovine TB probe’s on-farm testing work complete
Reading Time: 2 minutes On-farm testing work has wrapped on all the cattle herds that supplied animals in the past five years to an Alberta herd that turned up six cases of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in the fall of 2016. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) reported Tuesday it has completed on-farm testing of those “trace-in” herds, which include […] Read more
Klassen: Stronger fed cattle market underpins feeder complex
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta fed cattle prices surged $11-$12 this past week, with packers buying fed cattle in the range of $262-$264 on a dressed basis. While most feedlot operations are carrying sufficient numbers at this time of year, quality packages of heavier replacements were extremely precious. Yearlings and calves above 850 lbs. sold steady to $5 above […] Read more
Wendy’s to reduce antibiotic use in beef supply
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Hamburger chain Wendy’s Co. laid out plans on Friday to trim the use of antibiotics that are important to human medicine from its beef supply, the latest step by a food company to fight concerns about resistance to the drugs in people. Starting in 2018, the company will buy about 15 […] Read more
No prison for Saskatchewan rancher over stolen farm equipment
Reading Time: 2 minutes A western Saskatchewan rancher who pleaded guilty in August to charges over the discovery last year of missing tractors, balers and other farm equipment will serve time outside the prison system, Saskatoon media reported Friday. Iain Stables, now 40, was sentenced Friday in Provincial Court in Saskatoon to a conditional term of two years less […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle market falters
Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $3 to as much as $6 lower. Alberta feeder cattle prices appeared to move in line with major U.S. markets, which were also down $3-$5 from week-ago levels; however, minimal slippage was noted in eastern Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Weakness in deferred live and feeder cattle […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
