cattle feeding at a trough

Canola meal project sees more dramatic results in second year

News Roundup: Research will continue for one more year with yearlings

Results are in from the second year of a project feeding canola meal to cattle, and the weight gains were even more impressive in year two.  In 2021, Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture and the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA) started a project where they looked at using canola meal as cattle feed and the results […] Read more

The McDougall Creek wildfire burns outside West Kelowna, B.C. on Aug. 18, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Chris Helgren)

AgriRecovery feed, freight, breeding herd aid set for Alberta, Saskatchewan, B.C.

Feds, provinces announce combined $365 million in aid programs

The federal and Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia governments are jointly putting up $365 million to support ranchers and farmers up against this summer’s drought and wildfire damage. The feds on Friday announced their 60 per cent, or $219 million, share of AgriRecovery program funding for the three westernmost provinces. “I’ve had the opportunity to […] Read more


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Auction mart report for the week of Oct. 20, 2023

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

Southern Manitoba, courtesy of Killarney Auction Mart This week at Killarney Auction Mart: We did see the cull cow market gain some strength this week which is uncommon for this time of year. We are now in the busiest time of the fall run from mid-October to mid-November. We are unlikely to see the market […] Read more

CME January 2024 feeder cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle sag on packer margins, beef export sales

December lean hogs turn slightly lower

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures eased and feeder cattle tumbled to June lows at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Thursday as poor margins for U.S. beef processors limited demand for livestock, brokers said. A marketing-year low in weekly U.S. beef export sales also hung over the market. Meat companies are grappling with tight […] Read more


Ron Kostyshyn is sworn in on Oct. 18, 2023 as Manitoba’s minister for agriculture, with Premier Wab Kinew at left. (Government of Manitoba video screengrab via YouTube)

Former ag minister returns in new Manitoba cabinet

Kinew names Kostyshyn to ag portfolio

Incoming Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has brought a former provincial agriculture minister back to the cabinet table to handle the ag file. Ron Kostyshyn, who from 2012 to 2016 was then-premier Greg Selinger’s ag minister while serving as MLA for the northwestern riding of Swan River, was sworn in Wednesday as minister of agriculture in […] Read more

CME December 2023 live cattle with 20- and 50-day moving averages and June 2024 live cattle (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures mixed as packer margins stay in red

December lean hogs up off Tuesday's contract low; deferred months lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures were mixed on Wednesday, as beef packer margins stayed in the red and cash cattle prices were expected to be steady to higher, traders said. Hog futures were also mixed on the day. February and May lean hog futures dipped to new contract lows on sluggish […] Read more


Urolithiasis results in significant economic loss to the feedlot industry and stands as the fifth-most prevalent cause of feedlot deaths.

Urolithiasis: a pasture and feedlot conundrum

Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke

Bladder stones, or obstructive urolithiasis, are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in male ruminants, especially steers. Uroliths form from protein and mineral components of the diet. Protein components may include cells produced during vitamin A deficiency, sutures, tissue debris, blood clots, excess protein or bacteria in the urine. Typically, stones develop in the […] Read more



(Geralyn Wichers photo)

Klassen: Ontario demand sets the price structure for calves

Corn in Ontario at $232/tonne, U.S. corn in southern Alberta at $315

For the week ending Oct. 14, western Canadian yearling prices were steady to $4 higher compared to a week earlier. Calves in the range of 500 to 800 pounds traded $4-$6 lower in Alberta. However, in eastern Saskatchewan and in Manitoba, calves in this weight category were relatively unchanged compared to the previous week. In […] Read more