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Klassen: Feeder market holds value despite negative margins

U.S. demand limited with colder temperatures in Midwest

Calf markets appeared to trade $2 to $3 above week-ago levels on average. Feedlot margins on current pen close-outs are negative $300 to $350 per head but replacement markets haven’t missed a beat. Finishing feedlots were once again bidding aggressively on backgrounded cattle with fleshier types experiencing limited slippage. Larger pen sized groups were on the higher end of the priced spectrum with buyers avoiding smaller packages.

Lactation, reproductive efficiency and maternal instincts all play into how well a cow fits into her environment.

Kansas professor highlights role of genetics in the sustainable cow herd

Breeding and selecting beef cattle that fit an operation’s environment benefits a producer’s bottom line and scores sustainability points

Bob Weaber’s work on cattle genetics is for the producer, and so it’s for him, as well. Growing up, his family raised mostly commercial cattle but also got involved in the Junior Hereford Association in the U.S., where he got interested in seedstock, which was further piqued when he went to university. Now, Weaber operates […] Read more


Cattle use round bales as a wind break. (NDSU photo)

Klassen: Yearling return to the lineup on strong demand

Frigid temperatures result in limited volumes

The market hasn’t missed a beat and started the year where it left in December. The only difference is there are larger supplies of yearlings coming on stream. The benchmark levels had backgrounded steers averaging 1,000 pounds trading from $280-$285/cwt with top bids rounding at $290/cwt. Steers averaging 850-pounds were averaging $300/cwt with top-notch larger groups peaking at $305.

Surviving scours

Surviving scours

Prevention is the best medicine, but when you’re in the middle of an outbreak, it’s all about getting through it

Scours. It should be a four-lettered word, for all the misery it causes on cow-calf operations. Even with the best preventative practices, outbreaks can pop up in herds. And in the middle of an outbreak, the focus is on survival, for calves and humans alike. During an outbreak, producers are generally going to see a […] Read more


January- and February-born calves are also at least twice as likely to require calving assistance than spring-born calves.

Say “Beef”— We’re taking a snapshot!

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

On average, $0.67 of your $2.50 Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off came to the BCRC in 2022/23. Most of these dollars support research projects and programs. But most of the BCRC staff hours are spent turning research results into producer resources. That involves collecting production information from across Canada, identifying opportunities (and barriers) to better profitability, […] Read more



NoFence collars are charged by solar power on the sides of the battery and require a network connection.

Researcher evaluates benefits and risks of virtual fencing for cattle

A University of Alberta grad student ran a two-year study to see how NoFence works in the pasture

Interest in virtual fencing in cattle production is spiking as technology becomes more common in the beef sector. With so many different brands of virtual fencing offering so many different things, the question is whether virtual fencing is better than what has been done for decades. Alexandra Harland, a master’s student at the University of […] Read more




Jose Alcivar, graduate student and researcher at the University of Saskatchewan.

Using reproductive tract scoring to pick replacement heifers

A project at the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence is comparing conception rates of replacements to earlier reproductive tract scores

In Canadian beef cattle systems, increased efficiency accompanied by higher levels of performance is largely dependent on the female herd delivering live calves within a desired time frame. Most commercial operators retain and develop heifers for potential replacements. When adding numbers and quality to the herd, these yearlings become a critical piece of the puzzle. […] Read more