Feed: Ukraine, U.S. corn harvest advancing

CNS Canada — Following are a few highlights in the Canadian and world feed grains markets on Friday, Oct. 16. • CBOT corn futures were posting small losses at midday Friday, with the December contract quoted at US$3.74 per bushel, as the advancing U.S. harvest and relatively favourable yield reports weighed on values. • Ukraine […] Read more

New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser, shown here last November, doesn’t expect a Trans-Pacific trade deal to kill Canada’s supply management systems. (Beehive.govt.nz)

TPP not the death of supply management, N.Z. trade chief says

Hamilton, N.Z. | MCO — Canada’s supply-managed sectors should not worry about the Trans-Pacific Partnership, from where New Zealand’s Trade Minister Tim Groser sits. “I can understand why producer groups would wish to perceive this in a different way, but this is not the end of supply management,” he said here Thursday. “I don’t think […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Cash price caution undercuts CME live cattle

Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures finished lower on Thursday after traders took profits while waiting for this week’s cash cattle trade to develop, traders said. Spot October closed 0.8 cent/lb. lower at 132.95 cents, and December down 0.875 cent, to 136.55 (all figures US$). “It was a quiet day with […] Read more

Mike Friesen

The middle meats man

News Roundup from the September 2015 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Mike Friesen’s official title with Gordon Food Service (GFS), North America’s largest privately held broad-line food-service distributor, is “Category Lead for Centre of the Plate.” Friesen sells beef to the chef who sells the restaurant experience to the customer, and it all hinges on the beef Canadian cattlemen produce. “Ever go to a restaurant because […] Read more


Feeding non-conventional feeds to cattle

Feeding non-conventional feeds to cattle

This is a time of year when many of you turn your thoughts to winter feeding programs. In normal years, you typically have a good handle on the quantity and quality of your forage supply and the challenge is to balance the ration with appropriate energy, protein and mineral supplements for the class of cattle […] Read more



(Canada Beef Inc. photo)

U.S. livestock: Higher cash price outlook lifts CME live cattle

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures gained on Wednesday, supported by rising wholesale beef values that could help strengthen cash prices as early as Thursday, traders said. Spot October closed 1.325 cents/lb. higher at 133.75 cents, and December up 0.225 cent to 137.425 (all figures US$). Wednesday afternoon’s wholesale choice beef […] Read more



(Stephen Ausmus photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Van Camp: Olive branches offered through new gaps in tariff wall

What do you get when you mix milk and eggs with a looming election? A “free” trade deal that gained major market access in Asia for Canada, but managed to keeps the tariffs for Canada’s supply-managed commodities. After all the barking from New Zealand, cows parading on Parliament Hill, tweets, heart-wrenching videos on Facebook, election […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

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

Chicago | Reuters –– Most Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts ended moderately lower on Tuesday, with October helped by the upturn in wholesale beef prices and anticipation of higher cash prices later in the week, traders said. But, they said, profit-taking and uneasiness about cattle supplies in the coming months pressured remaining CME live […] Read more