(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle sink on technical selling

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures eased on Monday on profit-taking and technical selling, although losses were limited by firm wholesale beef prices and the discount of futures to cash prices, traders said. April live cattle closed down 0.425 cent/lb. to 115.55 cents, slipping below the contract’s 50-day moving average around […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Healthy margins drive feeder complex

Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded steady to $5 higher compared to week-ago levels. Buyers were quite meticulous on flesh levels and quality features in the heavier weight categories; however, feedlot operators were definitely more aggressive this week. Major operations have liquidated a fair amount of fed cattle and these players are anxious to reload […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder cattle prices lukewarm on mixed factors

Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were steady to $2 higher compared to week-ago levels. All weight classes experienced lukewarm buying interest, despite improving margins in the feedlot sector. Most auction barns experienced minimal numbers; cow-calf producers are holding back on sales hoping for stronger values and extreme cold temperatures hindered cattle movement, especially in the […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder cattle resume upward trend

Western Canadian feeder cattle prices resumed the upward trend after a brief dip during the first major snowstorm of the year. Feeder cattle weighing above 750 lbs. traded $2-$4 above week-ago levels while calves were readily selling for $4 to as much as $8 higher. Optimism abounds in the feedlot sector, as Alberta fed cattle […] Read more



Cow and a Calf

Declining cow-calf margins slow expansion

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay from the November 2016 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

The cow-calf sector is the nursery of the North American beef industry. What happens on the ranch determines whether the industry will expand or contract. This then determines what happens all the way to the retail meat case or the restaurant menu. Cattle numbers in recent years have shown different patterns north and south of […] Read more

Helping consumers make an informed choice

Helping consumers make an informed choice

Advocacy: News Roundup from the October 3, 2016 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

During the Canadian Beef Industry Conference (CBIC), I was asked to do an interview on CBC’s Calgary Eyeopener on the use of growth hormone implants in the beef industry. The impetus for the interview followed a retailer panel discussion on “Beef Demand” — a pillar of the National Beef Strategy — focused on “what consumers […] Read more