Livestock , Latest & Featured - Canadian Cattlemen

Jumping in with eyes wide open

It starts with a sound plan, say Tessa and Colin Verbeek, plus some parental support, a large helping of passion for the business, and a willingness to go for it

By Debbie Furber February 8, 2016

Tessa and Colin Verbeek will forever look back on 2015 as a landmark year. They married, established a new yardsite with a home and barn where they hosted their first annual prospect-calf open-house sale, she accepted a position as general manager of the Canadian Limousin Association, and he took the plunge into farming full time […] Read more

A+W CEO Paul Hollands, shown here at right during the chain’s Cruisin’ to End MS promotion in August, said the chain’s “better ingredients” campaign is still having a “powerful impact” on consumers. (CNW Group/A+W Food Services of Canada)

Beef Cattle, Livestock, Poultry/Eggs

Year-over-year same-store sales climb for A+W

By Canadian Cattlemen Staff February 8, 2016

Canadian burger-and-root beer chain A+W’s recent moves to boost the profile of its ingredients in a crowded quick-service playing field has pushed its sales past the billion-dollar mark in 2015. The A+W Revenue Royalties Income Fund on Friday reported net income of $21.32 million on $1.061 billion in reported sales from the 814 restaurants in […] Read more

Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: Fallen equities market topples CME live cattle

By Theopolis Waters, GFM Network News February 5, 2016

Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts closed lower on Friday, weighed by cash price caution and heavy U.S. stock market losses, traders said. The day’s firm U.S. dollar and the plunge in equities tied to disappointing jobs data pulled most commodity prices lower, they said. Altin Kalo, an analyst with Steiner […] Read more

Livestock, News Roundup

BIO goes mobile with Go360

By Canadian Cattlemen Staff February 5, 2016

The folks at BIO (Beef Improvement Opportunities) in Ontario have been busy creating web-based products and services to complement its web-based bioTrack record-keeping system for beef cattle, sheep and goats. Go360|bioTrack unleashes producers from desk duties with a mobile version that works on any smartphone, even in places without Internet or cellphone connection. It was […] Read more

(Manitoba Co-operator file photo by Laura Rance)

Livestock

Advance payment program widened, streamlined

By Canadian Cattlemen Staff February 5, 2016

More types of livestock will be eligible and more types of security will be allowed for Canadian farmers to get federally-backed advance payments starting this year. Amendments to the Agricultural Marketing Programs Act (AMPA), made last February as part of the former Conservative government’s omnibus Agricultural Growth Act, have made regulatory changes possible for the […] Read more

Manitoba Egg Farmers, which in 2013 called a halt to installation of conventional cages, has publicly demonstrated enriched housing systems. (Manitoba Co-operator photo by Shannon VanRaes)

Livestock, Poultry/Eggs, Reuters

Egg farmers to phase out cage housing over 20 years

By Rod Nickel February 5, 2016

Winnipeg | Reuters — Canada’s egg farmers plan to replace conventional hen cages with more humane conditions over the next 20 years, amid growing pressure from consumers, restaurants and food companies. The plan — announced Friday by Egg Farmers of Canada, an industry group that manages nearly all of the country’s egg supply — comes […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Hogs, Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle finish mostly weak

By Theopolis Waters, GFM Network News February 5, 2016

Chicago | Reuters — Most Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts closed weak on Thursday, after investors sold deferred months and bought February in anticipation of at least steady cash prices by Friday, traders said. Packers in Kansas and Texas on Thursday bid $138/cwt for market-ready, or cash, cattle, which matched last week’s sales, said […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Livestock, Markets, Reuters

New further-month live cattle futures, options to resume

By Reuters February 4, 2016

Chicago | Reuters — CME Group plans to resume its listing schedule for live cattle futures and options contracts, effective Feb. 18, the exchange said in a statement Wednesday. CME said it will post the June 2017 live cattle futures and options contract that was originally scheduled to be listed on Jan. 4. The exchange […] Read more

Saputo’s Canadian dairy division includes brands such as Dairyland, Neilson, Nutrilait, Baxter and Armstrong. (Dave Bedard photo)

Dairy Cattle, Livestock, Reuters

Saputo earnings up with weaker loonie

By Reuters February 4, 2016

Reuters — Saputo, one of Canada’s largest dairy producers, reported higher than expected adjusted earnings on Thursday, helped by weakness in the Canadian dollar. For its fiscal third quarter, adjusted net income rose 13.5 per cent to $175.4 million, or 44 cents a share. Revenue during the quarter, which ended Dec. 31, rose 2.8 per […] Read more

Livestock, Vet advice

Search for simplicity when planning for calving season

Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke

By Dr. Ron Clarke February 4, 2016

As Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “The chief work of civilization is making the means of living more complex.” In the cattle industry, striving for optimum production and managing change sparks a counter-impulse toward simplicity. Preparing for calving season is always a chance to look for simpler ways. A big part of getting to “simple” is […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hog futures hit contract highs on shock herd decline

Alberta Crop Report: Harvest more than three-quarters finished

NFU says proposed plant breeders’ rights come at farmers’ expense

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