(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Hogs extend rally, cattle snap winning streak

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures on Tuesday gained for a third straight session, fueled by recently improved prices for slaughter-ready, or cash, hogs and wholesale pork values despite plentiful supplies, said traders. Fund buying developed after December and February futures opened above their respective 20-day moving averages of 42.51 and […] Read more

Auditing facilities and cattle handling

Auditing facilities and cattle handling

Canadian feedlot animal care assessment — Part 4

Properly constructed facilities and appropriate cattle-handling equipment confine cattle safely and efficiently with minimal stress and risk of injury to cattle and workers, going a long way to help alleviate much of the stress and frustration staff experience when working with excited, stubborn or aggressive animals. Auditors award five points if facilities and equipment are […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle rally to three-week high

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rose for a third consecutive session to their highest level in three weeks, fueled by Friday’s strong cash prices and the U.S. government’s bullish monthly Cattle on Feed report, traders said. Friday’s U.S. Department of Agriculture report showed two per cent fewer cattle entered feedlots […] Read more





Motherland Monument, Kiev. (CIA.gov)

Ukrlandfarming owner in talks to sell stake

Kiev | Reuters — Ukrainian businessman Oleh Bakhmatyuk, the major shareholder in agricultural group Ukrlandfarming, is in talks with Chinese and Middle East investors about possibly selling a stake in the company, Interfax news agency said on Monday. Ukrlandfarming’s main businesses are grain and sugar production, livestock farming, the distribution of agricultural products and the […] Read more

(Fonterra.com)

China busts gang selling expired dairy products

Shanghai/Wellington | Reuters — Chinese police have arrested 19 people for repackaging and selling expired dairy products originally from New Zealand giant Fonterra Co-Operative Group, a Shanghai regulator said on Monday, the latest food scare to hit the country. The bust, which initially took place in March, uncovered the gang who had cut 276 tons […] Read more


The Stadhuis, or city hall, in Antwerp, Belgium. (CIA.gov)

Belgian internal feud blocks EU-Canada trade deal

Brussels | Reuters — The European Union’s hopes of signing a landmark free trade deal with Canada this week appeared to evaporate on Monday as the Belgian federal government failed to win the consent of French-speaking regional authorities. European Council President Donald Tusk had given Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel until Monday, three days before […] Read more

cows at a mineral feeding trough

Understanding your protein supplement

Nutrition with John McKinnon, beef cattle nutritionist

In my last column, I wrote about what a crazy year it has been for growing and harvesting hay. The variability in this year’s hay crop will force many producers to purchase supplemental feed in order to meet the nutrient requirements of their cattle this winter. Last month we looked at alternate feed sources that […] Read more