Drought and searing heat have had a severe impact on feed crops such as corn, wheat and soybeans.

Drought rears its ugly head

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

BSE cases and E.Coli O 157:H7 recalls have roiled the North American beef industry over the past 25 years. But neither have had more of a long-running impact on the industry as drought. Severe to extreme drought conditions have now returned to much of the western half of the continent and are having an impact […] Read more

CBOT November 2021 soybeans (candlesticks) with ICE November 2021 canola (yellow line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans touch last December’s lows

Soy, corn production bigger than previously expected, USDA says

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures dropped on Tuesday to the lowest seen since December 2020, after a U.S. government report pegged soybean and corn production to be bigger than traders had previously expected. The monthly world agricultural supply and demand estimates (WASDE) report pegged the soybean crop at 4.448 billion bushels, and soybean […] Read more


Larkspur, which contains many toxic alkaloids, can affect the next year's calf crop if gestating cows eat enough of it at the wrong time. It's just one example of toxic plants found in some regions in North America.

Unconventional: Salvaging crops and feeding weeds during drought

Whether you’re eyeing a flax crop or baling ditches and sloughs, here’s what you need to know about alternative feeds

In drought years it’s often challenging to provide adequate forage for cattle. Sometimes producers use alternative feeds which might include drought-stressed or salvaged crops. Dr. Bart Lardner, professor in the department of animal and poultry science at the University of Saskatchewan, says some of the drought-stressed crops that might be available include annuals such as […] Read more

Many provinces – as well as the federal government – announced increased funding in August to help support producers hit by drought this year.

CCA reports: Better days on the horizon

From the September 27, 2021 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

I am pleased to see the world is starting to open and return somewhat to pre-pandemic life. For the first time in a long time, those able to travel had the opportunity to get together in person at the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) semi-annual meeting held in Calgary in August to discuss industry issues and […] Read more


Dry pastures can mean vitamin A deficiencies in both cows and calves this fall.

Beware vitamin and mineral deficiencies in the cow herd during drought

News Roundup from the September 27, 2021 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

As ranchers pull cattle from parched pastures this fall, veterinarians and livestock nutritionists advise watching for vitamin and mineral deficiencies.  “This year we’re going to be seeing a lot of guys feeding some alternative feeds, maybe a little bit more straw in their rations, so it’ll be important to balance off those important macro minerals […] Read more

Wheat being loaded onto a cargo ship in Vancouver in 2011. (File photo: Reuters/Ben Nelms)

Exports tumble as supplies simply not there

'There's very little to sell'

MarketsFarm — Cereal and oilseed exports out of Canada nosedived in August just as the 2021-22 marketing began, according to the monthly export report from the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC). At about 2.24 million tonnes, total grain exports were down 38.5 per cent overall compared to those in August 2020. “There’s very little to sell. […] Read more






File photo of a canola crop south of Ethelton, Sask. in 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Canada’s drought forces canola importers to turn elsewhere

'Importers...are going to be left out in the cold'

Winnipeg | Reuters — Canada’s smallest canola harvest in 13 years, resulting from severe drought, is forcing importers like Japan and Mexico to pay more or scour other countries for the yellow-flowering oilseed. With the scant available Canadian canola fetching high prices, customers of the world’s biggest canola exporter are leaning more heavily on smaller-producing […] Read more