(WPohlDesign/iStock/Getty Images)

Klassen: Cold weather slows feeder cattle market activity

Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle prices were relatively unchanged. Extreme temperatures blanketed Western Canada last week. Many auction barns cancelled sales or had limited numbers on offer. Buyers attended sales either in person or via the internet, which was supportive to the overall price structure. Many backgrounders and cow-calf producers delayed sales […] Read more

An image created by Nexu Science Communication, together with Trinity College in Dublin, shows a model structurally representative of a betacoronavirus, the type of virus linked to COVID-19. (Nexu Science Communication via Reuters)

Foreign workers to lose some travel exemptions in March

Temporary foreign workers (TFWs) travelling to Canada won’t need to quarantine in a government-supervised hotel when they get here – for now — but by mid-March, Ottawa will put more stringent measures in place. Starting Feb. 22, non-essential travellers and essential workers arriving in Canada will be tested for COVID-19 upon their arrival. Non-essential travellers […] Read more



Federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland appears at a news conference in Ottawa on Sept. 24, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Blair Gable)

CFA seeks continued ag support in next federal budget

Federation also presses for Buy Canadian campaign, processing support

Federal budget consultations are underway, with agricultural groups lobbying the government to support the industry further in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on Jan. 25 launched pre-budget consultations and since then, her schedule has involved several meetings with stakeholders. “We want to hear ideas from Canadians, from all walks of […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Federated Co-op buying into ag retailer Blair’s

Central, southeastern Saskatchewan sites to go into new joint venture

The ag retail arm of the Saskatchewan-based Blair’s Family of Companies is set to go into a joint venture with one of Canada’s biggest co-operatives. Blair’s and Federated Co-operatives (FCL) announced last week they’ve reached an agreement to set up a joint venture which, pending regulatory approvals, will own and operate the seven Blair’s ag […] Read more

(Glacier FarmMedia photo)

Glacier’s outdoor ag shows preparing digital event lineup

Each show to host multiple online events during 2021

The company hosting Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show and its western counterpart, Ag in Motion, plans to use the online platforms it set up in 2020 to instead host multiple smaller online events this year. Both outdoor ag shows hosted by Winnipeg-based Glacier FarmMedia — the owner of this website — went online in 2020 due […] Read more


CME April 2021 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hogs rise to four-month high on supply woes

February live cattle down, April up

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures rose for the seventh time in eight sessions on Thursday, hitting a four-month high on concerns about tight supplies, traders said. “There are a lot of empty barns out here,” Don Roose, president of U.S. Commodities in West Des Moines, Iowa said. Live cattle futures were mixed, with […] Read more

CME April 2021 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle down on profit taking

Cash markets support CME lean hogs

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures dropped on a profit-taking setback on Wednesday, a day after rallying to their highest in nearly a year, but worries about a cold snap across production regions of the Plains kept declines in check. Hog futures rebounded after closing mixed on Tuesday as strong cash markets led […] Read more


Prep heifers for breeding and calving

Prep heifers for breeding and calving

Bred or unbred, these animals need energy to grow

Many producers are retaining more replacement heifers than in previous years. There are many good reasons to do so, but if so they should assure that unbred replacements are receiving adequate midwinter nutrition in order to be ready for breeding in the spring and ready to give birth to their first healthy calf. Given that […] Read more

CME April 2021 lean hogs with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs end mixed after five-session rally

Feeder cattle up on corn supply projection

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures ended mixed on Tuesday following five straight sessions of contract highs that triggered technical and speculative selling and profit taking in some futures months. The market, however, remained underpinned by strong cash hog prices, robust export demand and profitable pork packer margins, as well as Tuesday’s downturn […] Read more