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(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)
Markets, Prime cuts

Cattle prices will see big rise

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

By
At time of writing, this year is only two months old and already 2022 is shaping up to be a much better year for North American cattle producers. Forecasts are for higher prices for all classes of cattle in Canada and the U.S., especially as the cattle/beef sectors in both countries shake off the impact […] Read more
Daily slaughter capacity at the U.S.’s 30 largest beef processors slightly increased in 2021 from the previous year.
Markets, Prime cuts

Beef industry faces packer fallacies

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

By
Misinformation and even disinformation are not new to the U.S. beef industry. It’s fascinating, though, how the onset and impact of the coronavirus pandemic amplified the claims of critics of the industry, especially those of the beef processing sector. Most critics claim the “Big Four” packers control more than 80 per cent of the U.S. […] Read more
Live cattle market rally belies ‘broken’ claims
Markets, Prime cuts

Live cattle market rally belies ‘broken’ claims

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

By
U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle clamored all last year for legislation to “fix the broken” live cattle market. Late in the year, some introduced measures that would upend the way in which the majority of live cattle are purchased by packers. They argued that the measures they proposed would put more money […] Read more
The percentage of U.S. cattle grading Prime and Choice remains high but is slightly down from this time last year.
Markets, Prime cuts

Leverage in the cattle market at last

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

By
Leverage is everything when it comes to buying or selling many goods and services. The cattle market is no exception to this, whether it is at the auction market or in the feedlot. U.S. cattle feeders over the past 18 months have had a tough lesson in what happens when they don’t have leverage over […] Read more
Any legislation calling for harsh mandates regarding the current cattle price situation will just lead to unintended costs and consequences for all producers.
Markets, Prime cuts

Beware of government “help”

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

By
The government is here to help you. How many times have you heard that expression and reeled at what that help might mean? This is what the U.S. beef industry is facing in light of calls by U.S. lawmakers to demand government mandates on required minimum negotiated cash markets for live cattle. Some members of […] Read more
The high price of beef forced retail sales to slow significantly in September.
Markets, Prime cuts

Christmas cheer without prime rib

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

By
Adorning the Christmas dinner table with a succulent beef rib roast is a longstanding tradition for meat lovers in the U.S. and, I daresay, in Canada as well. But American consumers, at least this year, might have to forego this hugely popular holiday item for a lower-priced cut. This is because wholesale rib prices are […] Read more
Drought and searing heat have had a severe impact on feed crops such as corn, wheat and soybeans.
Markets, News, Prime cuts

Drought rears its ugly head

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

By
BSE cases and E.Coli O 157:H7 recalls have roiled the North American beef industry over the past 25 years. But neither have had more of a long-running impact on the industry as drought. Severe to extreme drought conditions have now returned to much of the western half of the continent and are having an impact […] Read more
Meat packers face labour crisis
Markets, News, Prime cuts

Meat packers face labour crisis

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

By
American beef processors and possibly those in Canada face a labour shortage that might be the worst in the two countries’ history. Ironically, U.S. beef processing margins are record large for this time of year. But labour constraints mean slaughter levels are lower than they should be to handle the available supply of fed cattle. […] Read more
A new US$325 million beef-processing plant planned for southwest Iowa will process 1,500 head per day and is expected to employ 750 people once it begins operation in late 2023.
Markets, News, Prime cuts

For beef processors, the buck stops here

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

By
As beef producers in Western Canada know only too well, opening a new beef processing plant is the easy part. Running it at an eventual profit is an entirely different matter. Maybe the producers who invested in the ill-fated Rancher’s Beef plant in Balzac, Alta., should talk with the producers who are investing in two […] Read more
A new bill introduced in Congress directs the U.S. Trade Representative and USDA’s Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack to find some way to re-impose mCOOL labelling.
Markets, News, Prime cuts

China takes a liking to U.S. beef

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

By
Chinese consumers are rapidly taking a liking to U.S. beef. China reopened its market to the U.S. in February last year after a Phase One deal between the two countries removed nearly all the technical barriers that had prevented most U.S. beef from entering China. Volume was tiny for several months but began to pick […] Read more

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