What do coffee and doughnuts have in common with beef? 

Animal Health with Ron Clark, Dvm

The Canadian Beef Industry Conference 2016 (CBIC 2016) provoked thought on many topics. Presentations by a host of food industry icons stirred the imagination of the cattle industry, a body once thought inert and cloaked so deeply in tradition and romance that any significant degree of change seemed improbable.Through two solid days of presentations, I […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market stabilizes

Western Canadian feeder cattle prices traded steady to $5 higher over the past week largely due to stronger U.S cattle markets. Alberta packers were relatively quiet but fed cattle prices in the U.S. southern Plains jumped US$5, reaching US$110. This sudden reversal caused Canadian feedlot operators to hold out for higher prices and the positive […] Read more


cattle herd and horse rider

Beef industry appears to be stalled

Charlie Gracey's take on cattle markets and the cow-calf industry

There are few surprises and some disappointments at the end of Q2. Total slaughter cattle numbers are up 5.1 per cent and tonnage is up approximately nine per cent over the same period in 2015. The larger increase in tonnage is due entirely to increased carcass weights. Further, the increase in the percentage of AAA […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market softens

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, goes the old proverb, and there is no greater example than in the cattle complex. Placid feedlot operators watched in dismay as fed cattle sold in the range of $133-$135 this past week, down approximately $6 from week-ago levels and $10 below breakeven pen closeout values. The stomach-churning fed […] Read more


Taste-testing during a Canadian Beef Advantage Seminar in Shanghai in 2013.

Some thoughts on China’s beef business

Nutrition with John McKinnon, beef cattle nutritionist

Recently I had the opportunity to visit China and spend some time with beef and dairy producers in this vast and truly interesting country. As this article goes to press in midsummer, I thought it would be interesting to provide you with a few insights into beef production in this part of the world. This […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market brewing but caution prevails

Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were steady to $4 higher relative to week-ago levels. Yearling volumes are starting to increase in central and northern Alberta while the southern and eastern regions experienced limited activity. Buyers’ opaque attitudes resulted in a firmer tone and no one could feel guilty for a minor intemperance. However, the circumspect […] Read more

The real cost of fat

The real cost of fat

In his recent article Yield is down, fat is up, pg. 55, February 2016 Canadian Cattlemen, Charlie Gracey did an excellent job of highlighting excess fat as a serious issue for the Canadian beef industry. Creating more marbled carcasses by feeding cattle longer has resulted in larger carcasses, excessive fat cover and plummeting yields. Although […] Read more