Limousin cattle resting in the barns at Canadian Western Agribition. Valued at minimum wage, Agribition’s volunteer hours during show week alone add up to $42,000 in labour.

Beef shows work to rebuild volunteer base post-COVID

The pandemic and demographic shifts in volunteering mean cattle shows are actively recruiting new volunteers to rebuild their base

Walking through the doors to Canadian Western Agribition, smells mingle in the hallways: mini donuts, smoked meat and those of a bovine nature, wafting out of the cattle barns. In the barns, producers bustle. People are clipping and brushing cattle in chutes. In the corner at the bar, people walk towards their booths with Caesars […] Read more


(Bhofack2/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. food companies go deal hunting as pandemic growth fades

Twinkies maker Hostess exploring a sale

Reuters — U.S. packaged food companies are set for a flurry of deals in a push to revamp their brand portfolios as their pandemic-era fortunes fade and benefits of price hikes start to taper off. Last month, Campbell Soup struck a $2.7 billion deal for Rao’s sauce maker Sovos Brands (all figures US$). Unilever bought […] Read more

swine fever virus research USDA

Vet Advice: Trust in science, technology needed to fight future pandemics

We ignore the zoonotic aspects of pandemics at our peril

COVID is just over three years old. Based on a World Health Organization (WHO) dashboard, as of June 28, there had been 767,518,723 confirmed COVID cases, including 6,947,192 deaths, worldwide. And it’s not finished. COVID drags on as the mother virus spawns new mutant strains. The scientific community at all levels worries about the next […] Read more


File photo of the produce section at a Canadian grocery store. (FatCamera/E+/Getty Images)

Canada retools inflation baskets with more focus on food, gas

Snowblowers and barbecues in, DVD players out

Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s national statistics agency on Tuesday revealed new weights for the basket of goods and services in its Consumer Price Index, giving more prominence to changes in the prices of food and gasoline. The reweighting, which Statistics Canada carries out every year, has historically had only a marginal impact on the […] Read more

Brazilian meatpacker JBS SA’s logo on a tower in Jundiai, northwest of Sao Paulo in southeastern Brazil, on June 1, 2017. (File photo: Reuters/Paulo Whitaker)

Beef consumption to rise in China, JBS predicts

China seen as more competitive in domestic chicken, pork markets

Sao Paulo | Reuters — Demand for beef in China is expected to rise as the country still has relatively low per capita consumption, Gilberto Tomazoni, chief executive of JBS SA, said on Wednesday during a business conference. He said Brazil and the U.S., where JBS has meat facilities, are well positioned to meet China’s […] Read more


Piglets at a hog operation in China. (KuLouKu/iStock/Getty Images)

China’s 2022 pork output highest in eight years

Average hog weights remain relatively high

Reuters — China’s pork output increased 4.6 per cent in 2022 from 2021 to reach its highest level since 2014, official data showed on Tuesday, confounding some expectations for a smaller rise. Pork output in the world’s top producer of the meat reached 55.41 million tonnes, the highest since 56.71 million tonnes recorded eight years […] Read more

CBOT March 2023 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans firm as investors track Argentine weather

Wheat, corn drift lower after multi-week highs

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures rose on Thursday, after rallying earlier in the day to the highest price since June, as investors tracked forecasts for much-needed rain across Argentine crops and China’s dropping of strict COVID-19 measures. But the price rally was capped by investors looking to capture profits and adjust their positions […] Read more


CBOT March 2023 soybeans with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy firm on Argentina weather, China demand hopes

Wheat market awaits U.S. winterkill assessment

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures rose for a third consecutive session on Wednesday as traders watched weather forecasts in Argentina for signs of much-needed rainfall, while China’s dismantling of COVID-19 restrictions raised hopes for improved demand. Corn also found support from uncertain weather in South America, while wheat lifted as trade kept monitoring […] Read more

CME February 2023 lean hogs with 20-day moving average (pink line) and CME cash lean hog index (blue line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME February hogs hit two-month low

China COVID-19 concerns a factor; live cattle close higher

Chicago | Reuters — CME live hog futures fell to a two-month low on Monday, notching their fifth straight day of declines on concerns that Chinese pork consumption will fall during the country’s upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations, traders said. Cattle futures were firm, with strength in the cash market underpinning prices. Weakness in Chinese […] Read more