
Beef cattle

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle end firm on tight supplies, lower weights
Hogs mixed on weak cash prices, higher cutout
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures ended mostly firm on Friday, underpinned by tight supplies and as harsh winter weather in recent weeks lowered cattle slaughter weights and limited beef production, traders said. Live cattle futures prices remained bound in a recent trading range as cash cattle prices at Plains feedlot […] Read more

Can we replace growth promotants?
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
Hormone implants and feed additives such as ionophores (e.g. monensin/Rumensin), beta-agonists (e.g. ractopamine/Optaflexx) and MGA (to suppress heat in heifers) have allowed Canada’s feedlot sector to dramatically improve growth rates, feed efficiency and environmental performance. In-feed antimicrobials to prevent liver abscesses (e.g. tylosin) also have an indirect benefit because healthy cattle grow better. While consumers […] Read more

Rabobank to offer Canadian farm-level lending
Dutch co-operative bank's Canadian arm to loan directly to farmers, starting on Prairies
Updated — A global financing firm operating at higher altitudes in Canada’s food and agrifood sector now plans to expand its business down to the farm and ranch level. The Canadian arm of Rabobank — an Amsterdam-based farmer co-operative lender, providing banking, leasing and real estate services in more than 38 countries — announced Tuesday […] Read more

California picks up debris from latest storm, braces for next
Also: Why all this rain won't end California's drought
Sacramento | Reuters — Rain-soaked Californians took advantage of a break in a weeks-long deluge to haul away dead trees, restore downed power lines and prepare new stacks of sandbags before another series of storms hits the state beginning Friday. In Monterey County along the state’s central coast, communities near the still-rising Salinas River were […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs end mixed, cattle mostly lower
Corn's rally put pressure on feeder cattle futures
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures ended mixed on Thursday, with actively traded nearby months down on weak pork prices and dull demand, while deferred contracts rose on expectations for tighter supplies in coming months, traders said. The February hog contract was down for the 10th time in 11 sessions and […] Read more

Last year tied as world’s fifth-warmest on record, U.S. scientists say
Global CO2 emissions continue to rise
Brussels | Reuters — Last year was the world’s joint fifth-warmest on record and the last nine years were the nine warmest since pre-industrial times, putting the 2015 Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global warming to 1.5 C in serious jeopardy, U.S. scientists said on Thursday. Last year tied with 2015 as the fifth-warmest year […] Read more

Contracted and lax tendons in newborn calves
A look at the potential causes and treatments of limb problems in new calves
Thankfully, most calves are born unassisted, out of sight and out of mind. They nurse independently and quickly take their position as one of many productive herd members. But sometimes things don’t go as hoped, and the occasional calf is born with leg issues — namely contracted or lax tendons. Contracted tendons exhibit as “knuckling […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME hogs drop as pork cutout sinks to near two-year low
Cattle futures also follow beef values lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell on Wednesday for the ninth time in 10 sessions as weak cash hog prices and lower pork values dragged the market to a fresh three-month low, traders said. Pork packer margins have eroded and the closely followed cash wholesale pork cutout value fell on […] Read more

Agribition Supreme champions
Purely Purebred, news from the January 2023 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Congratulations to the 2022 Canadian Western Agribition Beef Supreme Champion Bull and Female, presented by CN Railway. The Supreme Champion Bull was SVY Mayfield 30H, exhibited by Cays Cattle, Kinistino, Sask. (photo above) The Supreme Champion Female was EF Primrose 925. Calf at side is EF Oattes Primrose 2234. Exhibited by Enright Farms, Renfrew, Ont. (photo […] Read more
Highlights from Farmfair International
Purely Purebred, news from the January 2023 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Farmfair International was held in Edmonton, Alta., from November 9 to 12, with perhaps the largest prize money payout in North America (over $300,000). The quality of cattle did not disappoint. Here are some highlights from the show results: