
Livestock

Third major Alberta beef plant confirms COVID-19 cases
JBS in Brooks is the latest with infected workers, but will continue operations
UPDATED, April 17 — Cases of COVID-19 have now been confirmed at three of Alberta’s major beef packing plants. Three cases of COVID-19 were confirmed Wednesday at the JBS beef packing plant in Brooks, said Tom Hesse, Local 401 president with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Canada. JBS Canada spokesman Cameron Bruett confirmed some […] Read more

Trump administration aims to buy milk, meat to help farmers, Perdue says
Homeland Security to ease visa rules for ag workers
Reuters — The U.S. government plans to buy milk and meat from farmers as part of an initial US$15.5 billion effort to help them weather the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Wednesday. The decision comes amid rising pressure from the U.S. farm lobby for government purchases as growers and […] Read more

Beef cattle producers seek new set-aside plan
Cattle groups, Tories call for revival of BSE-era program
Canada’s beef cattle producer groups and federal Conservatives want to see the revival of a BSE-era program to hold cattle back against the risk of further lost options for slaughter. The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association on Monday hearkened back to its March 24 list of recommendations to the federal government for support measures against the impacts […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures recover
Cargill cuts more beef shifts, Smithfield shuts more pork plants
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle and hog futures advanced on Wednesday as the markets recovered slightly from recent losses that traders said had dropped prices too far below the cash markets. Futures prices have tumbled recently as major meat companies have shut slaughterhouses due to the spread of the new coronavirus among employees. The […] Read more

Make vaccinations work for your cattle herd
When giving a shot, make sure it isn’t a shot in the dark
As ranchers begin another calving season and vets stock their shelves with vaccines and supplies, now is the time to review vaccination protocols and management practices to make sure the herd is protected. Dr. Glen Griffin of South West Animal Health Centre in Swift Current, Sask., has been serving the southwest since 2004, when he […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures rise as traders hope slaughterhouses reopen soon
Hogs more sensitive to packer disruptions
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures rose Tuesday in a turnaround from recent losses, supported by a temporary easing of concerns over meat plants’ shutting due to cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus among workers, analysts said. Livestock markets have been fixated on shutdowns of meat plants because processing disruptions cause a backup in supplies […] Read more

Klassen: Weaker fed cattle prices weigh on feeder market
It appears finishing feedlots and cattle buyers are coming to terms with the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic may last longer than earlier anticipated. The “hope” factor that this environment will be short-lived has evaporated. Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $3 to as much as $10 lower, with yearlings absorbing […] Read more

Canada Beef cooks up new marketing ideas
Marketing: News Roundup from the April 2020 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Canada Beef is looking for new ways to promote old favourites such as ground beef, Michael Young told attendees of the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference earlier this year. The ground beef category represents 60 to 65 per cent of retail sales, Young, president of Canada Beef, told the crowd. But a lack of recent innovations […] Read more

‘Elbow to elbow:’ North America’s meat plant workers fall ill, walk off jobs
Supply chains struggling to keep pace with surging demand
Chicago/Winnipeg | Reuters — At a Wayne Farms chicken processing plant in Alabama, workers recently had to pay the company 10 U.S. cents a day to buy masks to protect themselves from the COVID-19 coronavirus, according to a meat inspector. In Colorado, nearly a third of the workers at a JBS USA beef plant stayed […] Read more

Beef Farmers of Ontario ask for curb on cull sales
BFO concerned over processing 'backlogs'
Updated, April 15 — Ontario’s cattle producer organization is asking members to consider delaying sales of cull cows until market conditions “normalize.” Beef Farmers of Ontario’s board on Thursday published a memo to beef and dairy cattle producers, asking them to help “prevent a further surge in cull cows in the market” — especially of […] Read more