Once a calf gets weak and gets down or has no suckle reflex, it needs IV fluid.

Important scour-prevention tips for calves

Keep calving facilities clean, and focus on good herd health status

Scours is the number-one killer of calves under two months of age. It takes many different management strategies to prevent scours and it is important to know that it is caused by many different things. The following points will offer some ideas to reduce the buildup of organisms and increase resistance in your calves. Disease […] Read more


CME February 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with 10-, 40- and 100-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle up off three-week low in technical bounce

Hogs ease

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher on Monday, bouncing off a three-week low on technical buying, analysts said. CME February live cattle settled up 0.775 cent at 138.85 cents/lb., rebounding after a dip to 136.85 cents, just below the contract’s 40-day moving average and its lowest since Nov. 18. […] Read more

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New China import rules bring headaches for food, beverage makers

Cooking oil, milled grains among foods moved to higher-risk categories

Beijing | Reuters — Makers of Irish whiskey, Belgian chocolate and European coffee brands are scrambling to comply with new Chinese food and beverage regulations, with many fearful their goods will be unable to enter the giant market as a Jan. 1 deadline looms. China’s customs authority published new food safety rules in April stipulating […] Read more


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U.S. packer profit margins jumped 300 per cent during pandemic, economists say

Increased costs don't explain higher profits, White House advisors say

Washington | Reuters — Four of the biggest meat-processing companies, using their market power in the highly consolidated U.S. market to drive up meat prices and underpay farmers, have tripled their own net profit margins since the pandemic started, White House economics advisers said. Financial statements of the meat-processing companies — which control 55 to […] Read more

CME February 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 10-, 30- and 50-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures extend rebound off 10-month low

Bargain buying supports cattle

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures rallied on Friday, extending gains made a day earlier when the market rebounded from a 10-month low. The gains accelerated as prices surged through key resistance points, and the market closed near session highs. CME February lean hogs settled up 3.2 cents at 81.025 cents/lb. […] Read more


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AgriCommunication plan to seek farmer-consumer dialogue

Ag exhibitions among expected beneficiaries

The federal government has put up new funding toward improving consumers’ awareness of the “strengths” of Canada’s ag sector — and to improve farmer awareness of what those consumers want and expect. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Thursday announced an $8 million, three-year funding envelope for the first of two streams of what’s now called […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: Hog futures climb with pork prices

Hog slaughter seen accelerating; beef export picture drags on cattle

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures rebounded on Thursday from four sessions of losses, amid an accelerating slaughter pace and indications that pork prices may be near a bottom following a prolonged slide, traders said. The daily hog slaughter was slower-than-normal earlier this week, which some analysts said may be a […] Read more


File photo of an Ontario cherry orchard. (UpdogDesigns/iStock/Getty Images)

Audit finds Canada failing migrant farmworkers on COVID-19, housing inspections

Toronto | Reuters — As the COVID-19 pandemic raged, federal government inspectors frequently deemed the employers of migrant workers compliant with health and safety rules despite a lack of evidence, according to an Auditor General report released Thursday. While Canadian provinces and territories set housing standards, the federal government is responsible for ensuring tens of […] Read more

The feeder market is expected to move from extreme lows in the first quarter of 2022 to extreme highs by October of 2022.

More Prairie cattle finished sooner this year

Market Update with Jerry Klassen: Prices may be down in early 2022 but way up by next fall

As of mid-November, Alberta packers were buying fed cattle in the range of $260-$263 delivered on a dressed basis. Prices FOB the feedlot in southern Alberta were quoted at $154 on a live basis. Prices are marginally lower than the October average because market-ready supplies in Alberta and Saskatchewan are sharply higher than a year […] Read more