A vineyard at Naramata in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley. (File photo by Dave Bedard)

B.C. again waives ag income threshold for farm properties

Some farms otherwise risked property tax reclassification

British Columbia farmers who’ve taken pandemic-induced losses in farm income will be able to keep their farm properties classified as such for another tax year. The province on Monday announced that for the second year running, it will waive the minimum farm income thresholds normally required for B.C. properties to be classified as farms for […] Read more

CME August 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (dark red line), CME July 2021 lean hogs (pink open/high/low/close) and CME lean hog index (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle up on bargain-buying

CME lean hogs mostly lower; feeder cattle down on corn's bounce

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures firmed on bargain-buying on Friday after a steep plunge a day earlier, with expectations of steady to higher cash cattle prices next week adding support, traders said. “The market is chopping around but it looks like it needs to go back to the upside to price in […] Read more


Lisa Thompson. (Lisathompsonmpp.ca video screengrab via YouTube)

Ontario names new ag minister in shuffle

Lisa Thompson replaces Ernie Hardeman

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has drawn another aggie from his existing cabinet to replace Ernie Hardeman as his agriculture minister. Ford on Friday announced a major cabinet shuffle, dropping Hardeman, the long-time MPP for Oxford, from the cabinet table and naming Lisa Thompson as minister for agriculture, food and rural affairs. Thompson, who until Friday […] Read more

CME August 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines) and August 2021 live cattle (dark red open/high/low/close). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hogs limit down for second consecutive day

CME August cattle end lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures fell by an exchange-imposed limit for a second consecutive session on Thursday as commodities declined broadly. Selling by index funds fueled losses in markets from hogs to cattle and corn, after the U.S. Federal Reserve signaled it might raise interest rates sooner than expected, […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Management can boost pasture production by 80 per cent

Any time you can increase pasture productivity and stocking rate by anywhere even close to 80 per cent, that has to be a management practice delivering value to livestock producers. But that’s the kind of benefit research shows can be achieved by doing a better job of controlling weeds and brush on pasture, according to […] Read more

(RecipeFranchising.com)

Second Cup owner to buy Milestones dining chain

Foodtastic plans to expand brand to Quebec

Future growth of the Milestones chain of grill-and-bar restaurants across Canada will take place under different ownership. Vaughan, Ont.-based Recipe Unlimited, owner of fast-casual and dining chains such as Swiss Chalet, The Keg, Harvey’s, St-Hubert and Montana’s, announced Monday it will sell the Milestones chain to Foodtastic, owner of the Second Cup and Nickels Deli […] Read more


CME August 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20- and 100-day moving averages (pink and black lines) and August 2021 live cattle (dark red line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hogs limit down on new China stats

Live cattle futures up with cash values

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures fell their daily three-U.S.-cent limit on Wednesday, pressured by falling U.S. wholesale prices for pork products and news of increasing hog numbers in China, traders said. China’s pig herd rose 23.5 per cent in May from a year earlier, state media said on Wednesday, […] Read more

As pastures dry out and forage quality drops, lick tubs are one way to provide cattle with protein and energy.

Lick tubs one way to supplement poorer pastures

It doesn't take much loss in body condition to affect conception rates

A good illustration for this column is a photo I recently took of a dried-out and brown cow pasture. And, if much of the southern Prairies doesn’t get rain soon, many good pastures will start to look like this, which may be detrimental to this year’s breeding season. To lessen its impact, producers should implement […] Read more


CME August 2021 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle hit two-month high

CME lean hogs end mixed

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle futures rose more than two per cent on Tuesday, setting a two-month high as deferred prices for corn, the main feed grain for cattle, continued to fall, traders said. CME benchmark August live cattle futures settled up 2.625 cents at 123.9 cents/lb. after reaching 124.125 […] Read more

The USDA building in Washington, D.C. (Art Wager/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. ag secretary backs proposed meatpacking investigator

Reuters — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Tuesday threw his support behind a proposal to establish a special investigator to address concerns about anti-competitive practices in the meat and poultry industries. Republican U.S. Senators Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Charles Grassley of Iowa and Democratic Senator Jon Tester of Montana have proposed legislation […] Read more