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Dairy testing for bird flu expanded in Canada

Non-clinical dairy cattle eligible for funded testing

On June 17, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency updated their guidance for private veterinarians on highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The update noted the expanded eligibility for testing, and that the CFIA would cover lab test fees at any Canadian Animal Health Surveillance Network (CAHSN) lab that is approved to test samples in domestic animals. The agency will not, however, pay veterinarian fees for sample collection or shipment to the lab.

Photo: ARS/USDA

U.S. livestock: CME hogs rally after contract lows; cattle futures jump

Chicago | Reuters – Lean hog futures rallied at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Friday after falling earlier to contract lows under pressure from increased U.S. production. Cattle futures also climbed. A rise in wholesale prices for U.S. pork helped trigger the turnaround in hogs, analysts said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture priced the pork carcass cutout […] Read more


To defer income under LTD, the breeding herd must have been reduced by at least 15 per cent.  Photo: Canada Beef

Feds announce early livestock tax deferral

Livestock producers in drought-affected areas are getting and early livestock tax deferral (LTD) for the 2024 season. The federal government said the situation has become more challenging for producers due to climate change, when announcing a list of regions eligible for the deferral on June 14. The LTD allows producers in designated areas, who were […] Read more

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U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures retreat as wholesale US pork prices sag

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures backpedaled on Thursday from a one-week high reached during the previous session, while live cattle futures strengthened. Hog futures eased after wholesale U.S. pork prices pulled back from a jump on Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture priced the pork carcass cutout at $97.02 per […] Read more


Test tubes labelled “Bird Flu” and eggs are seen in this picture illustration, January 14, 2023.
 Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File

Two dozen companies working to find bird flu vaccine for cows, US agriculture secretary says

Reuters – Twenty-four companies are working to develop an avian flu vaccine for cattle, as the virus spreads among U.S. dairy herds, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told Reuters on Wednesday. Bird flu has infected 90 dairy herds across 12 states since late March, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Three dairy farm workers […] Read more

The RFID tag should be put ideally a quarter of the way out from the head and in the middle.

More cattle tags being retained

Animal Health: Tag makers continue to improve reliability of tags against harsh conditions

The national livestock identification system has been around for a good while now, close to 25 years. Through the system’s growing pains, lots of lessons have been learned and the system is being fine-tuned. Producers are deriving more and more benefit from using farm management systems linked to readers linked to scales, all based on […] Read more


Photo: File

Cattle producers wary of grasslands conservation proposal

Glacier FarmMedia – Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association members want the Canadian Cattle Association to press pause on its Grasslands Conservation Initiative until it can better communicate its plan. Several resolutions about the initiative were debated during the SSGA annual meeting June 11 and while some were defeated members did approve one calling on CCA to […] Read more

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U.S. livestock: Live cattle, lean hog futures end lower

Chicago | Reuters – Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange closed lower on Tuesday in dull technical trade as market players await cash cattle trade to develop, brokers said. CME August live cattle LCQ24 settled down 1.050 cents at 178.925 cents per pound, although the contract stayed above its 100- and 200-day moving averages. CME August […] Read more