(Creativex/iStock/Getty Images)

Flooding in Manitoba hinges on coming spring melt

MarketsFarm — Manitoba’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre (HFC) released an initial spring flood outlook report Friday citing the risk of moderate to major flooding in most the province’s southern basins. Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Piwniuk said the amount of flooding will depend on weather conditions from now until spring melt. The HFC advised that, while […] Read more


CME April 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures extend rally to six days

April live cattle down on day

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures rose for the sixth straight session on Friday, with the market underpinned by strong domestic demand and tight supplies as slaughter numbers lagged well behind the 2021 pace. Traders also noted technical buying helped accelerate the gains. April lean hog futures gained 1.825 cents to 109.4 […] Read more

CME April 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and CME lean hog index (dark red line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures hit six-month high on strong cash markets

April live cattle end lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures rose 2.1 per cent on Thursday, with the front-month contract hitting its highest in six months on strength in the cash market, traders said. April lean hog futures gained 2.175 cents, to 107.575 cents/lb., hitting a new contract high and briefly topping the high end of […] Read more


Having two or even three  esophageal feeding tubes on hand and used during calving season is an effective way to ensure calves are supplied with key nutrients and other products when they are needed.

An esophageal feeder is a key tool in saving calves

Animal Health with Roy Lewis: It is an effective way to administer a range of products to newborn or sick animals

Modern tool boxes in cow-calf production would not be complete without preferably at least two esophageal feeding tubes. These relatively simple, multipurpose feeding tools allow a safe, convenient method to give things such as colostrum or colostrum replacers, electrolytes, milk replacers and a few other treatments to calves. No producer should feel they don’t know […] Read more



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

U.S. livestock: Hog futures firm, cattle mixed

CME March feeder cattle lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures firmed on Wednesday, with concerns about processing margins seen limiting supplies in the coming months. “High feed costs and low prices there have production margins as poor as they’ve been in at least eight years,” brokerage StoneX said in a note to clients. “All of this […] Read more

CME April 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and CME lean hog index (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs climb as tight supplies persist

Cattle futures also firm on tighter supplies

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures climbed on Tuesday, supported by persistent tight supplies of market-ready hogs, analysts said. “We know numbers are getting tighter. We haven’t generated the expansion we needed to over the last six to nine months,” said Matthew Wiegand, Risk Management Consultant at FuturesOne. “The numbers are […] Read more


Photo of an RCMP vehicle attending the blockade at Emerson, Man. dated Feb. 11, 2022. (Photo courtesy Manitoba RCMP)

Manitoba border blockade expected to end Wednesday

'Resolution' reached, Mounties say

Another protest blockade of a key Canada-U.S. trade corridor is expected to wrap up by Wednesday. Manitoba RCMP on Tuesday reported they “are now confident that a resolution has been reached” with protestors who, since Thursday, have blockaded Highway 75 leading to the border crossing at Emerson, Man., about 100 km south of Winnipeg. The […] Read more

keeping calves warm

Tips for warming cold calves

Get colostrum into newborn calves, and get them dried off

Calves born during blizzards or any type of cold weather can chill quickly. Calves with body temperature below 38 C need warming. If their temperature is below 36 C, their condition is critical. There are several ways to safely warm calves. Dr. Robert Callan, a veterinarian and professor at Colorado State University in the Department […] Read more