cattleman on a horse

Should I expand the cow herd?

Market Talk with Jerry Klassen

I’ve received many inquiries over the past six to eight months from cow-calf producers asking if they should be expanding their cow herd. Producers are asking whether they should try to get another calf out of the older cows and how aggressive they should be with heifer retention. In my experience, cow-calf producers do not […] Read more

CME June 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (brown, dark red and black lines) and June 2021 lean hogs (pink high-low-close). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures end mixed

Feeder cattle rise as corn prices falter

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed mixed on Wednesday, with the benchmark June contract easing in a light round of profit-taking while robust beef prices continued to underpin the market, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange June live cattle futures settled down 0.025 cent at 118.6 cents/lb., retreating after a climb to 119.425 […] Read more


Greg and Trish Tetz bring complementary experience and skills to their meat business.

Crafting a new meat business

Trish Tetz shares how she and her husband Greg launched a new business at the start of the pandemic

Starting a niche marketing meat business is no small feat, but launching it at the beginning of a pandemic takes the challenge to a whole new level. For some time, Trish and Greg Tetz of Three Hills, Alta., had the dream of “opening the conversation between producers and consumers. We wanted to be transparent and […] Read more

File photo of cattle grazing on Prince Edward Island. (ArodPEI/iStock/Getty Images)

Eastern drought zones set for livestock tax deferrals

Regions designated in P.E.I., N.S., N.B., Quebec

In a decision that may have come late for some, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and parts of southeastern Quebec and northwestern Nova Scotia have been declared drought zones for eligible livestock producers’ 2020 tax purposes. The federal government on Monday released its list and map of prescribed drought regions where tax deferral on sales […] Read more


CME June 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20- and 100-day moving averages (brown, black lines) and June 2021 lean hogs (pink line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle extend rally as beef prices climb

June hogs down third straight day

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rose on Tuesday for a fifth straight session, led by high-flying wholesale beef prices, analysts said. Feeder cattle futures also advanced but gains were muted as corn futures rallied, signaling higher costs to bring cattle up to market-ready weight. CME June live cattle futures settled […] Read more

Filming Guardians of the Grasslands.

Live launch for Guardians of the Grasslands draws over 500 viewers

After 18 months on the film festival circuit, Guardians of the Grasslands is now publicly available on YouTube.  The short documentary, produced by Ducks Unlimited Canada, the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, outlines the role of cattle in preserving Canada’s Prairie ecosystem. Between September 2019 and March 2021, the film was […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

BeefWatch: Canadian cattle inventories shrink, fed cattle prices improve

Prepared by the staff of Canfax and Canfax Research Services, divisions of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association

Canadian cattle inventories continued to shrink at the start of 2021, while U.S. inventories declined slightly from their peak. North American cattle supplies remain ample but could tighten as the year progresses with the potential of a smaller calf crop. Canadian beef production continues to be supported by feeder imports from the U.S. The backlog […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Stronger fed cattle prices underpin feeder complex

Limited feed and forage hinder further upside

Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis in the range of $265-$270 delivered this past week, up $3-$5 from seven days earlier. Live prices were quoted at $159-$162 delivered using a 60 per cent grading. If the feedlot operator booked their feed grains earlier in winter, live prices are $2-$3 above breakeven […] Read more


Walmart Canada bills itself as the first retailer in the country with an on-pack certified-sustainable claim for a line of beef products. (CNW Group/Walmart Canada)

Walmart locks in CRSB claim for in-store beef brand

Chain to be first retailer in Canada with certified-sustainable label on pack

The Canadian arm of Walmart has locked in enough of a supply of certified-sustainable beef to label its entire Your Fresh Market burger patty line accordingly. The retail giant announced Monday it’s now sourcing beef from “certified sustainable” farms and ranches according to standards set by the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB). The company […] Read more

(Freder/iStock/Getty Images)

Don’t count chickens before they hatch: Tyson bet on wrong rooster

Meat giant books unexpected decline in hatching

Chicago | Reuters — Tyson Foods is laying off a certain type of rooster from its U.S. chicken business after a surprising discovery that eggs fertilized by the male bird hatch less often, resulting in fewer chickens. The world’s largest meat producer by sales will install a replacement across its breeding program by this fall […] Read more