Stock photo of Corriente cattle. Whether buying roping steers or breeding stock, basic biosecurity is a must. Photo: flariv/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Cheap steers bring more than bargained for

Veterinary Case Study: An effective biosecurity plan is essential to prevent infectious diseases from entering your herd

Jim visited the office one morning and asked if we could talk. He looked worried, a bit like a child that had gotten into the Halloween candy early. Two years ago, Jim had started team roping with a local club. Good crops and strong cattle prices allowed Jim to build his own small arena. His […] Read more

CME February 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle futures hit new highs on tight supplies

Technical selling drags on hogs, again

Chicago | Reuters — CME live cattle futures and several deferred feeder cattle futures hit new contract highs on Thursday, as shrinking weights of market-ready cattle and concerns over smaller supplies helped fuel a price rally, traders said. Ongoing concerns over the recent severe winter storm impacting the livestock sector across the U.S. Great Plains […] Read more


Grant Lastiwka’s bale grazing setup.

Evaluating options for feeding bales

The hay is baled and stacked in the yard. Now’s the time to decide how to feed it. If the current method wastes a significant amount of feed, it might be time to re-evaluate your feeding system. Bale grazing has become more popular in recent years. Before an entire feeding system is switched over to […] Read more

CME April 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

Klassen: Historically high deferred live cattle futures support feeder complex

Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $2 lower to $4 higher on average. Many auction barns were on holidays last week; therefore, the buying interest appeared to be more concentrated on the major markets. There were no reports from Manitoba last week. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed […] Read more


CME February 2023 live cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle futures ease, supplies in focus

Hog futures down on technical selling

Chicago | Reuters — CME live cattle futures eased on Wednesday, after moving higher in the previous session, as traders watch for smaller supplies of market-ready cattle moving through the system, traders said. Snow and ice across the U.S. Great Plains last week will likely also reduce supply, shrinking weights of market-ready cattle. “The recent […] Read more

A soil infiltration ring, shown here on a producer’s field in the Peace region, is used to measure how quickly rain water infiltrates on a field.

Peace Region Living Lab includes learning cluster

The Living Lab, which spans the Alberta and B.C. border, has the potential to create a community of producers interested in trying new things

[Updated Jan. 3, 2023] When most people think of British Columbia, they think of white-capped waves on the Pacific Ocean off the Sunshine Coast, the sweeping, snowy Coast Mountains of Whistler, or trees hung heavy with fruit in the Okanagan.  Most people wouldn’t think of a landscape very similar to Alberta, with gently rolling hills […] Read more


CME February 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle futures climb on tight supplies

Supply report also bullish for hog futures

Chicago | Reuters — CME live cattle futures firmed on Tuesday, supported by lower cattle supplies and the impact of cold weather on cattle weights, traders said. Winter weather last week across the U.S. Great Plains likely caused cattle to lose weight amid snow and below-freezing temperatures, said Brad Kooima, commodity broker at Kooima Kooima […] Read more

A northern gannet colony at the Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula. (Benedek/E+/Getty Images)

Vet Advice: Viral storms endanger wildlife

Wildlife health is an indication of the health of the environment on which we rely

Listening for blue jays call in early mornings in need of peanuts is a favourite pastime. I sit with Addie, our golden doodle, within a foot or two of what’s offered, coffee in hand and watch my friends wrap a beak around whole peanuts, then squirrel them away in adjacent spruce. The routine stopped midsummer […] Read more


Vehicles are shown wrecked along the Highway 401/402 corridor near London, Ont. on Dec. 23, 2022. (Ontario Provincial Police photo via Twitter)

Winter storm causes havoc across Canada

Alberta ranchers shelter cattle against winds

Ottawa/Winnipeg | Reuters — Strong winds, freezing rain and heavy snowfall closed schools, cut power to homes and cancelled flights across Canada on Friday as a powerful winter storm swept across the country, prompting authorities to warn people to stay indoors ahead of worsening conditions. The storm is connected to the same freezing weather system […] Read more

CME February 2023 live cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures up, cattle placements drop

Lean hogs lower as weather curbs processing

Chicago | Reuters — CME live cattle futures firmed on Friday, as traders anticipated lower November feedlot placements in the U.S. Agriculture Department’s monthly Cattle on Feed report, released after the market close. USDA reported feedlot placements in November fell two per cent from a year ago. Analysts predicted a 4.2 per cent drop in […] Read more