Editorial: Grading beefs

Editorial: Grading beefs

Those seeking quick changes to grade standards will likely be disappointed

The stars seem finally to be aligned to revise the Canadian beef-grading system, but don’t hold your breath waiting for it to happen. The last revision was in 1992 and a lot has changed since then. That in itself clearly has not been enough to force a change. The Canadian Beef Grading Agency (CBGA) has […] Read more

Beef demand looking forward

Rising disposable income of U.S. consumers to grow Canada's beef and live cattle market

It is that time of year where I receive many inquiries in regards to fed and feeder cattle prices for the fall and winter period. We all know that beef supplies will experience a year-over-year decline during the third and fourth quarters of 2014 and therefore the true focus will be on the demand equation. […] Read more


COOL’s legal turn

COOL’s legal turn

The U.S. is ruled by laws and regulations. But the latter are often what have the most impact on businesses. That’s what happened with country-of-origin labelling. It’s also as difficult to overturn a regulation as it is to rescind a law. That’s why it’s remarkable that nine North American meat and livestock organizations, including the […] Read more

Beef Watch

Prepared by the staff of Canfax and Canfax Research Services, divisions 
of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association

Cattle prices across North America are signaling cow-calf producers to expand. How producers respond to that signal can be limited by weather and future market expectations. The January 1, 2014 cattle inventory reports showed stabilization in the U.S. industry as improved pasture conditions and feed supplies have halted the liquidation. North of the border inventories […] Read more


Building blocks for success

Institute discovers factors for successful food manufacturing in Canada

The competitive nature of food processing in Canada results in a constant set of challenges. When the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) set out to find out why we had failures and a $6.8-billion food-processing trade deficit through 13 case studies, they also discovered the ingredients for success. Food manufacturing in Canada is the leading […] Read more

A year of change

The year is relatively new and it already looks like one of significant change. Modest beef herd expansion in the U.S. might be underway. The battle over country-of-origin labelling (COOL) might be coming to an end. U.S. cattle and wholesale beef prices will break new records again this year. All these actions are positive for […] Read more


Barley Price Outlook

Cash barley values in the Lethbridge area have been hovering at $155/mt delivered in January. The barley market has been functioning to encourage demand as the market adjusts to the larger barley and wheat crops in Western Canada. Offshore movement has been limited due to tight fobbing capacity on the West Coast and rail delays […] Read more