(DimaSobko/iStock/Getty Images)

Canadian retailers impose limits on baby formula purchases

Canada not as hard hit by shortage as U.S.

Toronto | Reuters — Many Canadian retailers have imposed limits on the amount of baby formula customers can buy amid a shortage following Abbott Laboratories’ February production suspension in the United States, an industry spokesperson said on Wednesday. Canada has not been as hard hit by the shortage caused by the suspension at the Abbott […] Read more

CME August 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle fall with equities

Concerns remain over U.S. consumer demand

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle and feeder cattle futures dropped on Wednesday as traders reduced risk amid steep losses in the stock market, analysts said. Lean hog futures strengthened at the CME. Cattle futures are more sensitive than hogs to falling stock prices, said Dan Norcini, an independent livestock trader. Wall […] Read more


Reaching out to other ranchers who have encountered similar situations can help you get through  "the dip" after making a change in your operation.

AUDIO: How to quit smart or push through using ‘the dip’

Change isn't easy, but just knowing that the dip exists can help you get through tough spots

Most beef producers have been there. You’ve made a major management decision and at some point, it just doesn’t seem to be working out. You’re at a crossroads: do you quit while you’re ahead or do you power through, possibly throwing good money after bad? Famed management guru Seth Godin has a name for this […] Read more



CME July 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and dark red lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs extend recovery from recent slide

Live cattle, feeder cattle lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures rose for a third consecutive session on Tuesday as the market continued to recover from oversold conditions, traders said. Live cattle and feeder cattle futures ended lower. Short-covering helped propel hog futures higher following recent declines, said Matt Wiegand, commodity broker for FuturesOne. The market […] Read more

(DimaSobko/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. eyes baby formula imports amid nationwide shortage

About 40 per cent of formula products out of stock in U.S.

Washington | Reuters — U.S. health regulators will announce action on baby formula imports as soon as Monday to address a nationwide shortage that has left parents scrambling to feed their babies, the Food and Drug Administration’s chief said. FDA commissioner Robert Califf provided no details, but President Joe Biden said last week he was […] Read more


CME August 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle futures bounce from losses

Chicago lean hogs also rebound; August feeder cattle lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures ended higher on Monday in a rebound from recent losses, while feeder cattle futures stumbled under pressure from rising costs for grains used for livestock feed. Live cattle were technically oversold and due for a bounce, brokers said. Futures were also due to rally because […] Read more

“Lupine” calves may be born with crooked limbs, caused by the dam’s ingestion of lupines at a criti- cal stage of gestation.

Lupines and crooked calves

If you’ve seen birth defects such as fused joints, crooked legs or cleft palates in your newborn calves, toxic plants could be the culprits

Lupine calves” or “crooked calves” are an example of what can happen when various plant toxins are ingested by a pregnant cow at a certain stage of pregnancy. Lupines, also known as bluebonnets, are legumes. As legumes, they can enrich nitrogen-poor soil. In Canada, at least 28 species have been recognized, mostly in Western Canada. […] Read more


A low-flying bald eagle off the shore of Vancouver Island’s Comox Valley. (SkyF/iStock/Getty Images)

High-path avian flu reaches Vancouver Island

Saskatchewan extends ag fair ban for birds; B.C. restarts lab testing; FCC to offer flexibility

North America’s latest round of highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks has now made its way from one end of Canada clear to the other. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Tuesday confirmed Canada’s westernmost case ever of high-path avian flu in domestic birds, finding an H5N1 virus in a small-scale poultry flock in the Regional […] Read more

(DimaSobko/iStock/Getty Images)

Biden says U.S. baby formula shortage to ease in weeks

Shortage follows major Similac recall in February

Washington | Reuters — The U.S. baby formula shortage should improve dramatically in coming weeks, President Joe Biden and top officials said on Friday as the administration scrambled to reverse a shortfall that hits lower-income Americans particularly hard. The U.S. is working with manufacturers to allow more importation of baby formula, Biden told reporters in […] Read more