(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Steam evaporates off yearling market

August 2024 feeder futures at a premium

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded steady to $4 lower. The yearling quality continues to fade as thicker flesh levels are starting to appear. Steer calves were down $4-$8 on average while heifer calves were down $15 to as much as $20 in some cases. From a seasonal perspective, the calf market […] Read more

CME December 2023 live cattle with 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs down as Middle East war sparks risk-off selling

Smithfield to shut Charlotte, N.C. plant

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures retreated on Monday while lean hog futures fell for the first time in four sessions, pressured by risk-off selling as violence erupted in the Middle East over the weekend and riled global markets. The bloodiest fighting in years between the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and Israel […] Read more



Jesse Lawes and son Westin. Lawes went from a career in pro rodeo to working in the family’s auction marts full-time, and has found success in auctioneer competitions.

From pro rodeo to auctioneer champ

Jesse Lawes talks about growing up at the Provost Livestock Exchange, selling cattle and getting serious about the craft of auctioneering

The stands are packed and have been for hours in May at the Olds Auction Mart. The morning wanes into noon, and people file in and out of the auction arena, leaving with empty hands and returning with food. The afternoon brings some of the first high temperatures of the year, and someone opens the […] Read more



AUDIO: Reproductive diseases in cattle

AUDIO: Reproductive diseases in cattle

This episode in the Herd Health series looks at how to prevent and manage reproductive diseases in your cattle herd.

Reproductive diseases that cause abortions or leave cows open can take a big chunk out of your bottom line. It’s something Dr. Cheryl Waldner has spent a lot of time looking into. Waldner is chair of One Health and production-limiting diseases at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, and in this interview, she discusses everything […] Read more


Auction mart report for week of Oct. 6, 2023

Auction mart report for week of Oct. 6, 2023

Regional market analysis from Manitoba and Alberta, courtesy of the Livestock Markets Association of Canada members

Southern Manitoba, courtesy of Killarney Auction Mart 952 head through the ring this week at Killarney Auction Mart: The market has stabilized. There are still lots of cows heading south this week. Looks like numbers are picking up quicker than usual this fall. While we saw lots of big calves the last week of September […] Read more

Conservative agriculture critic John Barlow speaks Nov. 24, 2021 in the House of Commons. (Screengrab from supplied video)

Anti-activist bill back before Commons committee

Bill adds protections for biosecurity, farmers' mental health, Barlow says

A bill to create harsher penalties for unlawful entry onto farms and biosecure zones is back before the House of Commons after a previous iteration died on the order table in 2021. Conservative MP John Barlow brought forward Bill C-275, “an Act to amend the Health of Animals Act (biosecurity on farms),” as a private […] Read more



CME December 2023 lean hogs with 10-, 20- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs rally, export sales in focus

Cattle futures turn lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures rallied on Thursday, with signs of strong export demand supporting prices following the market’s decline to its lowest in more than four months on Wednesday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Thursday morning that export sales of pork totaled 42,900 metric tonnes in […] Read more