A calf wades through mud as Manitoba faces heavy rain.

Colorado lows hammer Manitoba producers through calving season

While some cow-calf producers may make changes to their calving seasons, others plan to stay the course and hope for no repeats of this spring's weather

When Theresa Zuk, a rancher based out of Arborg, Man., heard about the first Colorado low that swept through the province in the middle of April at the start of their calving season, she was nervous but knew they could handle it. The storm brought 29 centimetres of snow to Winnipeg, strong winds, and freezing […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market starts seasonal rally

Ontario demand leads charge higher in Manitoba

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $4 to as much as $6 higher on average. Calf markets were sharply higher. Auction barns in Manitoba reported calf prices up $8-$10 on average with certain pockets up as much $15. Calf markets in Alberta and Saskatchewan were up a solid $5-$8 from week-ago levels. […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feedlot demand up prior to seasonal rally

Market for calves 'boiling hot' in Manitoba

For the week ending April 30, western Canadian feeder cattle prices were quite variable. Yearlings traded $8 lower as much as $5 higher. Severe discounts were noted on fleshier cattle; some auction barns reported the bulk of cattle over 800 pounds were medium to heavier flesh. Deferred live cattle futures were under pressure but the […] Read more



Calves are being sold sooner than expected while cow culling rates are higher than normal.  Photo: Thinkstock

Klassen: Adverse weather tempers feeder cattle market

Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $3-$4 on either side of unchanged. Southern Alberta experienced severe wind and dust storms last week which softened buying interest from a large portion of feedlot operators. At the same time, grass conditions are quite variable across the Prairies despite the recent precipitation. Cooler temperatures […] Read more

CARVE Premium Ontario Beef was launched by food distributor Flanagan Foodservice in 2017. Beef in the program is sourced through operations that are certified under the Ontario Corn Fed Beef Quality Assurance program.

CARVE beefs up its offerings

While the pandemic has presented challenges, the people behind this made-in-Ontario beef brand are confident about its future prospects

Despite serious setbacks from the pandemic, an innovative beef branding program is on track to make even greater gains that benefit consumers and beef producers. CARVE Premium Ontario Beef is a brand launched by Flanagan Foodservice in 2017. Flanagan’s is a food distributor with 8,000 customers across the province, including restaurants, health care institutions, caterers, […] Read more


Photo: File

U.S. livestock: CME cattle, hog futures hit two week lows on robust supplies

Chicago | Reuters – CME Group live cattle and hog futures fell to two-week lows on Monday, pressured by bearish government supply reports released late on Friday. “There’s no shortage of market supplies or beef production until the fourth quarter at the earliest,” brokerage StoneX wrote in a note to clients. The U.S. Agriculture Department said on […] Read more

Fed cattle exports on the rise, high feed costs weigh on feeder market

Fed cattle exports on the rise, high feed costs weigh on feeder market

The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the May 2022 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Fed cattle The fed cattle cash market continues to trade in a relatively flat pattern, waiting for the prospect of the typical spring rally. Plagued by larger front-end supply and longer lift times, fed cattle have traded in the low $160s/cwt since the start of 2022. Wholesale prices have started to move higher, which is […] Read more


CCA president Bob Lowe speaks at a press conference in Ottawa on March 21, 2022, calling for federal back-to-work legislation to end a work stoppage at Canadian Pacific Railway. (CPAC video screengrab via YouTube)

AUDIO: Pandemic woes push beef industry to collaborate

Bob Lowe reflects on his two-year term as president of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, which began just as the country was locked down due to COVID.

Bob Lowe was elected president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) on March 13, 2020. Coincidentally, that was a Friday, and if you’re at all superstitious, you might see that as foreshadowing. By the next week, the country was in lockdown in an effort to slow COVID. Over the next two years, the beef industry […] Read more