CBOT January 2022 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, green and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: New COVID variant scares markets

Soybeans, wheat drop; corn rebounds

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell Friday as news of a new COVID-19 variant discovered in South Africa sent oil and equities markets lower, with moves exaggerated by low trade volume across the grain and oilseed commodities. Chicago Board of Trade January soybeans lost 13-3/4 cents, at $12.52-3/4 a bushel, the contracts biggest […] Read more

CME February 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle futures set new contract highs

February hogs drop to two-week low

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures set new highs on Friday and finished stronger on technical buying and firm cash prices, traders said. The front-month December contract and most-active February 2022 contract avoided losses seen in commodities such as crude oil and soybeans that were unnerved by the discovery of a […] Read more


File photo outside Cargill’s beef slaughter and packing plant at High River, Alta. on May 6, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Todd Korol)

Cargill serves lockout notice on High River workers

Company 'willing to keep meeting' after offer rejected

Updated — Whether in a strike or a lockout, workers at one of Canada’s biggest beef slaughter plants took another step toward the picket line this week by voting to reject the company’s latest contract offer. A vote conducted Tuesday and Wednesday by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 401 went to the […] Read more

UFCW Local 401 board member and Cargill employee Joseph Kog (l) and Local 401 president Thomas Hesse with their strike notice on Nov. 10, 2021. (GoUnion.ca)

Cargill beef plant workers serve strike notice

Without a deal, High River workers will walk Dec. 6

Unionized workers at Cargill’s cattle slaughter and processing plant at High River, Alta. will start strike action next month unless a deal can be reached with the company, their union said Wednesday. A strike would begin at High River no sooner than Dec. 6 at 12:01 a.m. if a new collective bargaining agreement isn’t reached […] Read more


File photo of a farmed mink. (Konstantin Sokolov/iStock/Getty Images)

B.C. calling halt to mink farming

Live mink on farms to be banned in 2023

British Columbia’s remaining mink farmers are “devastated” by the province’s proposal to phase out their industry over risks related to COVID-19. The province announced Friday it’s starting the process toward a permanent ban on mink farming — beginning with a ban on mink breeding, followed by a ban on live mink on farms by April […] Read more

File photo of containers at a seaport in Jakarta. (Leolintang/iStock/Getty Images)

APEC ministers call for curbs on farm, fuel, fishing subsidies

Washington/Wellington | Reuters — Pacific Rim trade and foreign ministers on Tuesday pledged to sustain the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic while pursuing talks to curb subsidies for fisheries and agriculture at a forthcoming World Trade Organization meeting. The ministers from the 21 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries said in a communique issued after […] Read more


Southwestern Alberta MP John Barlow, shown here at a parade in 2016, is again the federal Conservatives’ agriculture critic. (JohnBarlowMP.ca)

Conservatives’ Barlow to return as federal ag critic

NDP, Bloc incumbent critics to return

A former agriculture critic for the federal opposition Conservatives will again handle the file when the House of Commons resumes sitting in two weeks. Conservative leader Erin O’Toole on Tuesday named John Barlow, MP for the southwestern Alberta riding of Foothills, as shadow minister for agriculture, agri-food and food security. As ag critic, Barlow replaces […] Read more

A view near the Canadian end of the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Windsor and Detroit and is considered one of North America’s busiest trade routes. (Steven_Kriemadis/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. border reopens to Canadian land travelers

Travel business sees 'tremendous pent-up demand'

Toronto | Reuters — A steady stream of Canadian visitors, particularly retirees headed to U.S. sun spots, crossed the U.S. border by car on Monday for the first time in 20 months as Washington lifted travel restrictions. Traffic was heavy at times at some U.S. border posts such as Bluewater Bridge, Michigan near Sarnia, Ont., […] Read more


Shopping for groceries online is a trend that’s here for the long haul, in John F.T. Scott’s opinion. Online shopping has also revealed the importance of strong brands on beef.

Pandemic upends retail business for the long term

Price sensitivity, brand recognition and positive beef messaging are all areas to watch, says grocery industry consultant

March 2020 brought a seismic shift to the grocery industry, forcing Canadian supermarkets to completely change their everyday operations. Before COVID, grocery stores were generally stocking fewer packaged goods and offering more fresh products, and prepared in-house meals were popular. Online grocery shopping had drawbacks and only made up a tiny percentage of grocery volume. […] Read more

Fighting vaccination is a declaration of an intention that threatens to collapse our medical system — already in a malaise after a two-year battle with COVID-19.

Being contrary is not caring

Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke

The Canadian Veterinary Oath states the following: As a member of the veterinary medical profession, I solemnly swear that I will use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society. I will strive to: Promote animal health and welfare, Prevent and relieve animal suffering, Protect the health of the public and the environment, […] Read more