Hay is likely to be expensive in many areas this year due to weather.

Penciling out economics of winter cattle feeding

Feeding: News Roundup from the September 30, 2019 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Drought took its toll on many hay fields, while others were so wet that producers struggled to get a dry bale. For many beef producers on both ends of the spectrum, the result is high-cost feed. Ted Nibourg, a farm business management specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Food, outlined some of the economic factors producers […] Read more


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Klassen: Adverse weather tempers feeder market

Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $3-$5 lower. Excessive snow in Alberta and ongoing rains across Manitoba and Saskatchewan set a negative tone. The market appeared to incorporate a risk discount, although many auction barns had limited numbers on offer. Buyers once again focused on local cattle and avoided transportation over […] Read more

Beef sirloin tips are among the many Ryding-Regency-produced beef products now recalled. (Panainte Ancuta-Georgiana/iStock/Getty Images)

New meat recall prolongs Ryding-Regency shutdown

Ryding-Regency Meat Packers remains shut down, making an already tight processing capacity situation event more challenging for Ontario farmers. The Toronto company, along with St. Ann’s Food, announced a recall Tuesday of a long list of its products because of concerns with E. coli O157:H7. More products were added to the recall on Thursday. The […] Read more


Hughes works to minimize stress during weaning by vaccinating calves and introducing them to pellets before splitting them from their dams.

Tips for reducing antibiotic use on the ranch

Producers and veterinarians adapt to new rules around livestock antibiotic use

Beef producers used to be able to pick up antibiotics at their favourite farm supply store or local small town co-op, but things changed on December 1, 2018. Since then, Health Canada has mandated that all medically important livestock antibiotics require a veterinary prescription. While producers and veterinarians alike have dealt with some challenges that […] Read more

U.S. feeder cattle prices have been under pressure the last few weeks.

Pressure ahead for fed-cattle markets

The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the September 30, 2019 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Fed cattle Seasonal pressure coupled with leverage loss partly due to the U.S. packing plant fire resulted in smaller weekly kill capacity. Locally, demand is softer following the September long weekend, which is generally the case. In addition, front-end supply is building and packer lift times have lengthened. Over the past five weeks, the fed […] Read more


Wear at the tip of the toe, separation along the white line and an abscess could be signs of toe-tip necrosis.

Toe-tip necrosis in cattle

Don’t overlook this disease when diagnosing lameness in the feedlot

Several things can cause foot soreness in cattle, including foot rot, puncture wounds, sole bruises, abscesses and white line disease. But one of the most serious is infection of the inner parts of the foot, resulting from toe-tip necrosis. Dr. Murray Jelinski of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan started […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Yearling prices remain firm

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets were relatively unchanged with the exception of southern Alberta where 800-plus-lb. feeders traded $5 to as much as $8 higher. Strength in deferred live cattle futures and weakness in barley prices were the main factors driving demand in the Lethbridge area. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s bullish […] Read more