For the week ending February 17, Western Canadian prices for yearlings and backgrounded cattle were quoted $2-$4/cwt higher than seven days earlier.
Beef cattle
Klassen: Feeder market shows signs of herd expansion
Some buyers suggest some heifers are being purchased for breeding
Lessons from last September’s cattle market drop
A small change in cattle numbers can result in a large drop in market value
CME (Chicago Mercantile Exchange) December 2023 live cattle futures made a high of US$199.75 per hundredweight on Sept. 15. The market held at the higher levels until the end of September and then started to trend low, bottoming around $166 on Dec. 7 (all figures US$). There were a few signals stating that the market […] Read more
New farm income record set in 2023, estimates suggest
Despite challenges like drought and war, Canadian farms proved resilient
Canadian farm income may have set a new record in 2023. That's according to the official 2023 and 2024
estimates released February 16 by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
Prairie researchers at work on Johne’s vaccines
Glacier FarmMedia – Researchers at the University of Calgary are one step closer to introducing a vaccine that will help cattle producers combat Johne’s disease. The ailment, closely related to tuberculosis, can be found in all ruminants but has particularly high incidence in dairy cattle. That is believed to be connected to herd management techniques […] Read more
Calculator can analyze Johne’s options
The online tool provides producers with a range of management scenarios for their herds
Glacier FarmMedia — With no treatment or vaccine available, the impact of Johne’s disease on beef herds can be a nightmare. “Johne’s disease is particularly challenging to manage because we have so few options,” says Dr. Cheryl Waldner, professor at the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine. To help beef producers make better […] Read more
Securing another water source
Eppich News: A stream 13 feet underground was tapped and will water cattle on the northeast side of the home section
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! In December our weather continued to be mild. We had a few cold days with a cold wind but for the most part we were still above normal temperatures. The animals are quite happy with the temperatures. On Dec. 15 we had Dan Mitchell from Kerrobert come out with […] Read more
‘Grimace scale’ could help gauge pain, stress in cattle
Glacier FarmMedia — Dr. Maria Camila Ceballos has been researching animal welfare her entire career. Now, she’s a beef cattle welfare assistant professor at the University of Calgary. Along with her PhD student Mostafa Farghal, Ceballos is researching animal welfare by identifying and measuring pain in Angus beef calves. Ceballos says currently, pain in calves […] Read more
Use an NSAID for the right reasons
Mitigating pain makes sense in many areas of cattle production
Pain medication may be accompanied by treatment with antibiotics, but sometimes this is unnecessary. If your veterinarian prescribes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for pain, he or she may choose one based on label claim, experience in the field, price per treatment, duration of activity, ease of administration, advice of associates or slaughter withdrawal. There are […] Read more
Time to buy some cows?
Cattle right now are more profitable than crops, this farm management expert says
Glacier FarmMedia — When all costs are factored into the equation, raising cattle should be more profitable than growing crops in 2024 — and in some cases, much more so. “Right now, I can tell you that the returns per acre are higher than any of the crops,” said Ben Hamm, a farm management specialist […] Read more
Feed grain weekly: Buyers waiting longer to purchase more grain
U.S. corn shipments continue to put pressure on feed prices
Buying activity for feed barley and feed wheat in Western Canada is moving slowly and prices continue to decline, according to Susanne Leclerc, owner of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton.