
Livestock

Introducing outside calves heightens crypto risk
Cryptosporidium parvum is a disease that’s easy to introduce and hard to manage in a beef herd
In the cold, wet pastures of a gruelling Manitoba spring near Oakville, Man., Garth McCormick needed a calf to put on one of his cows who had lost her calf, but didn’t have any he could use on his own farm. His hired man brought a calf from his own place to McCormick’s. Immediately, the […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures slip from seven-year peak
Hogs up on technical buying
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell after hitting their highest in seven years on Monday. Feeder cattle futures continued to weaken, with the front-month contract dropping to a five-week low, as the prospect of high feeding costs due to strong corn prices pressured the market. Hog futures firmed on technical […] Read more

Klassen: April live cattle futures pull nearby cash feeder market higher
More feedlots switching back to barley
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded steady to $3 higher on average. Quality yearling packages of larger volume traded $2-$3 above week-ago levels. The calf market is becoming more defined. Larger calf volumes were on offer in Saskatchewan and Manitoba but smaller numbers were noted in Alberta. Therefore, we can’t accurately compare […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME lean hog futures weaken
Live cattle futures gain, feeder cattle under pressure
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures eased on Monday as the U.S. Agriculture Department lifted its forecast for domestic pork production and lowered its price outlook for pigs for this year. The department, in a monthly report, raised its estimate for pork production in the third quarter by 0.9 per cent […] Read more

Warmer weather boosts ergot risk in cattle
Researchers found symptoms ranging from decreased weight gain to heat stress even though ergot levels in feed didn’t breach CFIA limits
New research has found that feedlot cattle can develop problems when fed ergot even within allowable limits. Ergot is a fungus that can grow on certain grasses and grain plants when moisture conditions are just right. It becomes a problem mainly after a wet growing season. The fungus replaces the seed head with a dark […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle up on demand, tightening supplies
Hogs up on technical bounce
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rose on Friday in tandem with higher equities and energy markets as a robust slaughter pace and concerns about reduced cattle supplies in the coming months fueled buying. Packers have accelerated their daily slaughter pace following plant downtime around Monday’s Labour Day holiday and they […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs mostly lower on weak cash market
Chicago live cattle mixed, feeders up
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures ended mostly lower on Thursday as eroding cash hog prices weighed on the market along with weaker wholesale pork prices and slumping pork exports. Technical buying helped to underpin the actively traded October contract, the only month that closed higher on Thursday, while back month […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle down on quiet cash trade
Hog futures narrowly mixed
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures weakened on Wednesday as quiet trade on the cash market fortified concerns about light demand, traders said. Hog futures were narrowly mixed, with short-covering providing support, while worries that a firm U.S. dollar will chill export demand for pork added pressure. Benchmark CME October live cattle […] Read more

Fed cattle prices hit six-year highs
The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the September 2022 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Fed cattle It is not very often we see annual highs set for fed cattle in August! Fed cattle prices have traded the typical sluggish summer market for a contra-seasonal strong market driven by manageable supplies, smaller carcass weights and solid beef demand. The mid-August fed steer cash price was $177.41/cwt — not only the […] Read more

Saskatchewan’s livestock vet loan plan expanded to bigger centres
Urban vet clinics' work with rural producers noted
Saskatchewan’s program to forgive provincial student loans for veterinarians and vet techs serving livestock producers at rural clinics will now also cover those doing the same work out of bigger communities. The province’s Loan Forgiveness for Veterinarians and Veterinary Technologists program was first announced in April last year, offering forgiveness of 20 per cent of […] Read more