Prime Cuts Archives - Page 5 of 9

Cattle producers put their money…

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

By Steve Kay March 22, 2021

Beef producers have complained for years about how a few large companies dominate beef processing and how much money they make. That domination is nothing new. It goes back a century or more. But despite what some people think, it has not prevented a small but constant stream of new entrants into the sector. As […] Read more

U.S. packers saw record operating margins throughout last year, but cattle feeders and producers saw slim or even negative returns.

Markets, News, Prime cuts

Hopes for a more normal year in the cattle industry

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

By Steve Kay February 12, 2021

The North American beef industry started 2021 with cautious optimism of a return to normalized markets and pricing patterns. The industry especially hopes that even if the COVID-19 pandemic continues well into the year, markets will avoid the kind of extreme volatility seen last year. U.S. packers saw record operating margins throughout last year. But […] Read more

Markets, News, Prime cuts

Meat industry triumphs over COVID-19

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

By Steve Kay January 12, 2021

The North American meat and poultry industry faced unprecedented challenges when the COVID-19 pandemic began to wreak havoc throughout the continent last spring. The many ways the industry tackled these challenges and returned to a semblance of normalcy in such a short time is one of the greatest stories in the long history of the […] Read more

Markets, News, Prime cuts

Processing capacity is not the issue

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

By Steve Kay December 22, 2020

Beef processing capacity and plant capacity utilization are two different subjects. So I have been fascinated in recent months how some in the U.S. beef industry have equated the two. Their argument is that temporary plant closures and slowdowns in April and early May revealed that the industry needs a lot more capacity, mostly through […] Read more

Markets, News, Prime cuts

Cattle markets remain in recovery mode

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

By Steve Kay November 27, 2020

The market for fed cattle in the U.S. is now out of intensive care. But it remains in recovery mode after the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on cattle prices from mid-April through mid-July. Prices advanced US$7.05 per cwt live (based on USDA’s five-area steer average) in the four weeks to the week ended October […] Read more

Several initiatives are currently underway that promote sustainable beef production practices.

Markets, News, Prime cuts

Sustainability efforts in the beef industry growing

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

By Steve Kay November 4, 2020

Sustainability was likely a word that few in the North American beef industry uttered in everyday conversation 10 years ago. Today, the word is on everyone’s lips as producers and beef packers promote and develop new programs that increase the industry’s sustainability in the eyes of beef consumers. Cargill became the first North American packer […] Read more

Markets, News, Prime cuts

Cattle hides take a tanning

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

By Steve Kay October 16, 2020

Cattle hides for many years added up to US$60 to the value of a fed steer or heifer and accounted for two-thirds of the value of all byproducts. But hide prices and the value began eroding in 2018 and have not recovered. Now the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed any improvement in hide prices and the […] Read more

Markets, News, Prime cuts

A bold new plant concept

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

By Steve Kay September 15, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t quite bring North American beef processors to their knees in April-May. But many of the largest plants in Canada and the U.S. were forced to close temporarily or drastically reduce operations because of worker illnesses and absenteeism related to the virus. U.S beef plants one week ran at only 68 per […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Comment/Columns, Prime cuts

Prime Cuts: Industry still faces challenges

By Steve Kay September 3, 2020

The North American beef industry is no stranger to crises. From the market-distorting beef price freeze in the U.S. under President Richard Nixon to its first BSE cases in 2003, the industry has rebounded from whatever challenge it has faced. Canada, though, never fully recovered from its BSE cases. National cattle herd numbers peaked at […] Read more

Beef plants cannot operate efficiently without a steady supply of cattle from ranch to feedlot to plants.

Markets, News, Prime cuts

Beef producers get a raw deal

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

By Steve Kay June 19, 2020

North America’s cattle producers were the first in the beef chain to be impacted by the spread of the COVID-19 virus from epidemic to pandemic. Yet they are getting a raw deal from their national governments in terms of financial or other aid. The Canadian and U.S. governments were quick to declare that meatpacking was […] Read more

Klassen: Western Canadian calf markets surge on New World screwworm fears

Canada’s annual inflation rate in June up slightly to 1.9 per cent

U.S. grains: Corn rebounds from contract lows on short covering, bargain buying

Daily Network News

Klassen: Western Canadian calf markets surge on New World screwworm fears

Canada’s annual inflation rate in June up slightly to 1.9 per cent

U.S. grains: Corn rebounds from contract lows on short covering, bargain buying

Tag Archives Prime Cuts

Cattle producers put their money…

Hopes for a more normal year in the cattle industry

Meat industry triumphs over COVID-19

Processing capacity is not the issue

Cattle markets remain in recovery mode

Sustainability efforts in the beef industry growing

Cattle hides take a tanning

A bold new plant concept

Prime Cuts: Industry still faces challenges

Beef producers get a raw deal

Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field

Blogs

Cows ain’t coal

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AGCanadaTV: In case you missed it; your national ag news recap for July 11, 2025

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