Photo: Canada Beef Inc.

Cattle prices turning lower

Market Talk with Jerry Klassen

I’ve been overwhelmed with calls over the past week as the recent issue of Canadian Cattlemen reached dinner tables and coffee shops. In the October issue, I hinted that the cattle market was turning over and would likely trend lower in the latter half of 2024. I always judge how successful my articles are by […] Read more




Andchris Just Crushin’ It 20J, Grand Champion Speckle Park Bull.

News from the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

Purely Purebred, news from the December 2023 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

The Canadian Speckle Park Association hosted their first Speckle Park breed show at this year’s Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, Ont.  Grand Champion Female honours were awarded to Watson Land and Livestock Inc. with two-year-old female Watson Leopard Trillium 7J. Reserve Female honours went to MartinStar Farms with senior yearling Steele Katelynn 3K.  Grand […] Read more


Danika Mayer in the show ring.

First-generation cattlewoman earns her cowboy boots

Danika Mayer channels empathy and experience gained in nursing into career as beef producer

[Update: December 9, 2023] Starting small is better than not starting at all, and first-generation rancher Danika Mayer knows that better than most. Without growing up with any direct connection to the beef industry, the enthusiastic Canadian Cattle Young Leaders program graduate has made many miles, carving out her place in the Canadian beef industry, […] Read more

Dr. Kee Jim.

Jim gets nod for Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame

NewsMakers from the December 2023 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Congratulations to everyone inducted into the Canadian Agriculture Hall of Fame in Charlottetown, P.E.I., on November 8. Garnet Altwasser of Brooks, Alta., established Lakeside Farm Industries Ltd., a multi-faceted business that includes Lakeside Feeders — the largest single site feeding operation in Canada. Beef products from the Brooks, Alta. operation are marketed across Canada, North […] Read more


Dr. Anatoliy Trokhymchuk holding some of the equipment used to identify specific BRD-causing pathogens.

Tech for cattle disease diagnostics edges into the Star Trek age

Researchers are testing new, compact equipment to see if it can quickly and accurately diagnose specific pathogens that cause BRD in the field and feedlot

Remember the COVID rapid test? That was a point-of-need test designed to find a target and match it to a “binder” which then changes the colour if it’s positive or negative. The same principle is applied to the rapid lateral flow device test for anthrax, Dr. Anatoliy Trokhymchuk explains, which was developed by the U.S. […] Read more

A close-up of a cover crop grazing blend at Ag in Motion, near Langham, Sask., in 2023.

Surveyed producers report soil health benefits to cover cropping

Producers grazing cover crops reported soil health benefits, but cited a lack of information as a barrier

Callum Morrison finds himself talking about cover crops constantly. It’s a topic he’s happy to dive into. “My job isn’t focusing on cover crops, but I think it’s always something I’m going to be interested in,” he says. He’s been working in the cover cropping area of research for years since he started his master […] Read more


(Geralyn Wichers photo)

Klassen: Feeder market bounces on lower volumes

Feedlot operators believe yearling numbers will be down in March and April

Strength was noted in Manitoba and Saskatchewan while a softer tone was evident in Alberta. Once again, buyers shrugged off the weaker feeder cattle futures and the focus was on filling year-end orders. Alberta and Saskatchewan feedlots are carrying larger numbers but there appears to be sufficient bunk capacity available to sustain the price structure.

If it is cost-competitive, wheat can be a good option in feedlot diets.

Examining feed wheat in feedlot diets

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

Over the past 20 years, Canada’s barley acreage has shrunk by nearly 155,000 acres annually, while both wheat (up 440,000 acres annually) and corn (up 300,000 acres annually) have grown. A smaller barley supply has prompted Western Canadian cattle feeders to look at alternate grain sources. Cattle feeders in Central Canada and the U.S. have […] Read more