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



(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Cattle hit two-week high on technical buying

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures climbed to a roughly two-week high on Friday, boosted by chart-based buying ahead of a government supply report that was released after the close, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle extended steep gains from the previous session, with the two-day percentage rise of 4.9 per cent […] Read more

The long road to building public trust

The long road to building public trust

Insights into research by the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity

Spring is the time of year on farms when everything in the world seems right. What a reality check then to read in early June that Canadians aren’t sure today’s agriculture qualifies as farming, and half of Canadian consumers are unsure whether the Canadian food system is headed in the right direction. These are key […] Read more





(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures limit up on short-covering

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures jumped their three cents daily price limit while feeder cattle also rose sharply as traders exited short positions on expectations for higher prices in cash cattle markets, traders said. Lean hog futures were mostly higher, with all three livestock contracts rebounding from recent multiyear lows […] Read more

(EC.europa.eu)

Belgian region sticks to firm ‘Non’ on CETA

Brussels | Reuters — The Belgian region of Wallonia rejected new amendments to a planned EU-Canada free trade agreement on Thursday, reaffirming its opposition and so threatening the entire deal, a flagship of European Union trade policy. All 28 EU governments support the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), but Belgium cannot give assent without […] Read more



Upgrading beef grading research

Upgrading beef grading research

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

Youthful carcasses that meet A, AA, AAA or Canada Prime quality grades are also assigned a yield grade. Yield grades estimate the red meat percentage of the entire carcass based on the thickness of the backfat and size of the rib-eye muscle between the 12th and 13th ribs. The method that the Canadian Beef Grading […] Read more