
Tag Archives coronavirus

Vet Advice: Pandemic amnesia
Rarely is there perfect information about emerging disease
Face the North Wind is the compelling true story of cousins Fred Darbyshire and Ed Theriau, two young men from Sturgis, Sask., who ventured 1,000 kilometres north to Wollaston and Cree Lakes by canoe and dog team in search of fur. For 25 winters they survived on bear grease, caribou, fish and tea in the […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs end firm on light recovery bounce
Ramped-up slaughter pace keeps lid on rallies
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed modestly higher on Monday, shaking off early declines and firming on technical buying ahead the end of the month and quarter, after a three-session slide last week, traders said. A firmer close in Wall Street equity markets lent support as optimism about the U.S. economy could […] Read more

Ontario pledges farm recruiter crackdown as COVID-19 outbreaks grow
Ford rips 'fly-by-nighters just trying to make a quick buck'
Toronto | Reuters –– Ontario will crack down on “fly-by-night” recruitment agencies sending workers on to farms, the premier said on Monday, after a testing blitz identified a major coronavirus outbreak on a farm in southwestern Ontario. “We’re reaching out to all the farmers, we’re getting a list of these recruitment agencies. We found out […] Read more

StatsCan survey shows bump up in wheat acres, particularly durum
Farmers back off canola, soybeans; pandemic expected to cause other problems for ag
Ottawa | Reuters — Canadian farmers planted slightly more wheat overall in 2020 than in 2019, but the coronavirus outbreak will pose “unique challenges” in the production and distribution of crops, Statistics Canada said on Monday. Farmers planted 25 million acres of wheat, up 1.5 per cent from 2019, thanks in part to a 16.2 […] Read more

Health minister calls treatment of some farm workers a ‘national disgrace’
Ministers discussing changes to Canada's TFW program
Ottawa | Reuters — The treatment of migrant workers in Canada by some farmers is disgraceful and the federal government is seeking to fix the problem, the country’s health minister told a parliamentary committee on Friday, as farms battle COVID-19 outbreaks among their employees. Outbreaks of coronavirus infections have killed three people and infected hundreds […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hogs tumble on bigger-than-expected supply, economic concerns
Rising COVID-19 counts raise fears for beef demand
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures plunged by as much as the daily trading limit on Friday and ended sharply lower after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimated supplies above already-high trade expectations. Economic concerns amid rising novel coronavirus infections added pressure to hogs and also dragged down cattle futures, which finished […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hogs mostly higher ahead of USDA inventory data
CME feeder cattle firm up on lower corn prices
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures were mostly higher on Thursday, lifted by firmer cash hog markets and position squaring ahead of a quarterly hog inventory report that was released after the close. Futures have been sliding for most of the past two months as hog supplies swelled due to numerous packing plant […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn drops to six-week low
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures tumbled to the lowest in six weeks on Thursday and soybeans fell for a fourth straight day as forecasts for crop boosting rains across the U.S. Midwest reinforced prospects for bumper crops this year. Technical selling as futures fell below recent lows added pressure, sending some new-crop corn […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soy, corn slump on crop weather, economic concerns
U.S. Midwest sees generally mild temperatures
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures eased for a third straight session on Wednesday and corn futures were mostly lower as forecasts for rains and limited crop-stressing heat across the Midwest farm belt bolstered production prospects. Weak outside markets also hung over grain futures, with equities and crude oil posting steep losses as rising […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures down on big supplies, economic jitters
Surge in U.S. COVID-19 cases rattles Wall Street
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures eased on Wednesday and hog futures were mostly lower on ample livestock supplies and concerns about rising coronavirus infections and their negative impact on the economy. Wall Street’s three major indexes tumbled on Wednesday and crude oil plunged more than five per cent as a surge in U.S. […] Read more