Nearly 1,000 workers at Cargill’s beef processing plant in Guelph were on strike at the end of May, and there’s a possibility that workers at the Cargill Case Ready plant in Calgary could also hit the picket lines.
Beef Cattle
Strike possibility looms at Calgary Cargill plant
June vote will determine if Calgary Cargill workers will echo Cargill Guelph work stoppage
U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures mixed, hog futures lower, amid demand questions
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures ended Monday mixed, after conflicting market signals sent feeder cattle futures lower and nearby live cattle contracts slightly higher. Lean hog futures eased, as market participants wrestled with growing uncertainty over consumer demand for meat as the U.S. enters into the traditional summer grilling season. In […] Read more
Water systems for cattle operations
A water system can help beef producers make the best use possible of their resources
In Western Canada, the land aches for water. Drought has plagued parts of the Prairies for years now. Water levels in rivers, lakes and producers’ dugouts have dropped. Grass in the summer looks the same as it does in the fall — brown, crunchy and dead. The concern lingers going into the growing and calving […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME cattle stabilize after bird flu roils markets
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures stabilized on Friday after U.S. testing of ground beef samples for H5N1 bird flu fuelled wild swings, but markets still closed lower for the week. Live cattle and feeder cattle futures had rallied on Thursday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the samples from retail […] Read more
Canada, U.S. cattle inventories further decline
BeefWatch is prepared by the staff of Canfax and Canfax Research Services, divisions of the Canadian Cattle Association
All eyes are on moisture conditions this spring, as a snow drought covered a large portion of the Canadian Prairies this winter. Some of the highest (nominal) feeder prices in history last fall were combined with heifers being sent into feedlots. Feeder prices moved higher this spring to make new record highs on lower feed […] Read more
Check-off supports mentorship for new beef and forage researchers
Research On the Record with Reynold Bergen
Legendary forage breeder Dr. Bruce Coulman will be formally inducted into Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Hall of Fame this month. His first research job was with McGill University, whose forage breeding program had collapsed. With no breeding lines to start with, it took Coulman 17 years to develop his first new variety from scratch. He went on […] Read more
Researchers examine forage growth and grazing pressure
News Roundup from the April 2024 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Dr. Bart Lardner is well known in the beef industry across the western Prairies for his work on beef cattle management and forage production. At the end of January, he provided information to the industry on his research once again as he presented at the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference. He says lately a lot of […] Read more
Assessing malnutrition in beef cows: Part 2
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
Through my years in practice and my career afterwards, I could never accept the fact that some producers starve cattle. Malnourished cattle almost always occurred through winter and, inevitably, the lack of care of the cow herd meant all animals on a particular farm or ranch suffered. Horses were bone racks, the farm dog skeletal, […] Read more
U.S. beef demand coming in stronger than anticipated
Market Talk with Jerry Klassen
Beef demand appears to be stronger than expected in the first quarter of 2024. There is a higher probability that the economic momentum will continue into the second and third quarters before softening late in the October through December period. Consumer spending at U.S. grocery stores and restaurants was higher than expected during January. In […] Read more
Year-round mineral supplementation could improve beef cattle performance
University study shows increased reproductive performance
Producers could optimize lifelong beef cattle health and performance by supplementing with organic trace mineral supplements, including in utero. Mark Gerber, Zinpro technical sales specialist and master farrier, explained the importance of nutrition and mineral supplementation to attendees at Grey Bruce Farmers’ Week Beef Day earlier this year. “When we talk about cow-calf nutrition, we […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
