Farmers are the quintessential ‘jack of all trades,’ but continually adding more to your plate can create chaos if it becomes too much to manage.

Mental capacity

From the Ground Up with Steve Kenyon

Are you a “glass half-full” or “half-empty” kind of person? Or maybe your cup runneth over like me? That is me if you were to look inside my mind. It is always overflowing. I only have so much mental capacity. I think we all do to a point. My mind can only hold so much […] Read more

File photo of goats on display at the Hanover Agricultural Fair in Grunthal, Man. in August 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

U.S. transport regulators reject ’emotional support animal’ status

Service dog status still protected; 'support' goats, turkeys, others up to airlines

Washington | Reuters — Only trained dogs qualify as service animals on U.S. airlines, as regulators rejected requests to extend legal protections to miniature horses, pigs, turkeys and other species, under final U.S. Transportation Department rules issued Wednesday. Airlines can still choose which other species to allow on board, but the rules issued on Wednesday […] Read more


CME February 2021 live cattle with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures gain on strong cash trade

CME lean hogs down off six-week high

Chicago | Reuetrs — Live cattle futures gained on Wednesday, supported by a firming cash cattle market as traders eye the consumer demand picture. Chicago Mercantile Exchange February live cattle futures added 0.75 cent to settle at 113.925 cents/lb. (all figures US$). Tighter cattle supplies could begin pushing cash markets higher, whittling away at historically […] Read more

(Eat Just/Business Wire)

Singapore approves sale of lab-grown meat in world first

U.S. maker says cultured meat's clearance may set template for future approvals

Singapore | Reuters — Singapore has given U.S. start-up Eat Just the greenlight to sell its lab-grown chicken meat, in what the firm says is the world’s first regulatory approval for so-called clean meat that does not come from slaughtered animals. The meat, to be sold as nuggets, will be priced at premium chicken prices […] Read more


The Stuart family: Ben holding son Sullivan and Sian holding daughter Ava.

Free-choice silage pit grazing a simple winter feeding option

Ben Stuart, a forage specialist and beef producer, explains how to make this feeding option work for you

A free-choice silage pit may be the right stockpile grazing option to reduce your equipment costs and simplify winter feeding. Ben Stuart, forage specialist with Union Forage, first used this method of “grazing” silage to decrease winter feeding costs while maintaining quality in a system that’s easily accessible for cattle. “We wanted to look at […] Read more

CME February 2021 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle strengthen on demand outlook

Export demand supports hog futures, for now

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures rose on Tuesday, supported by strong U.S. consumer demand and high wholesale beef prices, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange February live cattle futures added 0.3 cent to 113.175 cents/lb. (all figures US$). CME cattle futures have been steady in recent weeks, recovering from a slump in late October […] Read more


E. coli bacteria.

Do cattle bacteria contribute to antibiotic resistance in human medicine?

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

E. coli live in the digestive tracts of warm-blooded animals and birds. Most are harmless, some are beneficial and some (such as E. coli O157:H7) can be very dangerous. E. coli are also involved in antibiotic resistance. “Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing” (or ESBL) E. coli are a major concern in human medicine. These bacteria are resistant […] Read more



CME February 2021 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures gain on strong pork demand

Weak beef exports drag on live cattle futures

Chicago | Reuters — Lean hog futures gained on Monday as demand for pork keeps pace with strong production, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s benchmark February lean hog futures contract settled 1.325 cents higher at 68.575 cents/lb. (all figures US$). “Demand must be good,” said Alan Brugler, president of Brugler Marketing. “Cold storage stocks continue […] Read more

(Diane Kuhl/iStock/Getty Images)

Tighter timeline set for dairy farmers’ trade pact compensation

Feather sector compensation pledged with $691 million in programs

Compensation to Canada’s supply-managed farmers, to offset domestic market share dealt away in two recent free trade pacts, will now move more quickly to dairy farmers — and will take the form of new programs for feather sectors. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Saturday announced $1.405 billion in compensation, as pledged in August last […] Read more