Beef Cattle & Production Tips

Complex issue of water and beef

Looking at the question of much water is used to produce beef from pasture to packer

By Lee Hart January 18, 2018

How much water does it take to produce a pound of beef? That may not be the most urgent question on the mind of beef producers, but for some schoolkids in Surrey, B.C. it was an important question to have answered for a class project. And when multiple letters asking the same question recently landed […] Read more

Finishers, Livestock

JBS to shed U.S. feedlot chain

By Grainews Staff, GFM Network News January 18, 2018

The remaining feedlots in meat packing giant JBS’s Five Rivers Cattle Feeding business, the world’s biggest cattle feeding operation, have found a buyer. JBS on Wednesday announced a deal to sell the U.S.-based assets of Five Rivers to affiliates of New York-based Pinnacle Asset Management for about US$200 million. The deal gives Pinnacle 11 feedlots […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Finishers, Livestock, Markets

Klassen: Feeder market lacks demand in new tax year

By Jerry Klassen, GFM Network News January 15, 2018

Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle traded $8-$10 lower while U.S. prices were also down $5-$10 from week-ago levels. The feeder market appeared to short-circuit after I thought the market was charged to move higher in last week’s report. Feedlot operators and cattle feeders saturated their demand prior to the New Year and […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Livestock, Markets

TPP seen critical for beef sales growth in Japan

By GFM Network News January 15, 2018

Canadian beef producers could be out millions of dollars in new exports if Canada is shut out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Why is it important? Beef exports, especially from Ontario, have been growing significantly to Japan and elsewhere in Asia. Allowing other competitors such as Mexico and New Zealand better access to that market, […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Markets

Today’s cash cattle market is deceiving

Market Update: It will be a different market in late 2018 compared to late 2017

By Jerry Klassen January 10, 2018

It’s that time of year when most feedlot and backgrounding operations are running near full capacity and the focus turns to marketing. The live and feeder cattle futures had been quite volatile over the past month when this was written in late December, which can make cattle producers quite nervous. While the futures market has […] Read more

Finishers, Livestock, Markets

Klassen: Fed cattle market leads feeders higher

By Jerry Klassen, GFM Network News January 8, 2018

Alberta packers were buying fed cattle in the range of $280-$282 delivered on a dressed basis, which equates to $168-$171 on a live basis. Yearlings bought last summer are bringing back $150-$180 margin, which has reinforced buying enthusiasm. Western Canadian yearlings traded $3 to as much as $8 above week-ago levels; calves were relatively unchanged […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Hogs, Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: CME cattle drop daily limit on lower cash market sales

By GFM Network News January 5, 2018

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell sharply on Friday and hit daily trading limits on weaker cash market prices and easing concerns that frigid weather in feedlot areas could disrupt marketings. Fund selling, or “rolling,” of lead-month positions into deferred months ahead of similar moves early next week added pressure. […] Read more

This is one example of a creep area. The metal panels can be moved to change the size of the well bedded creep area. Smaller (calf-size) access points have been created at the front to let calves enter, but keep cows out.

Cattleman’s Corner, Cow-Calf

Provide calves a place of their own soon after birth

Animal Health: Calf hutches or creep areas help in disease prevention

By Roy Lewis January 5, 2018

Calf hutches are used by many producers at calving season and for very good reason. They are especially important if calving early in inclement weather. With the increasing size of our herds, young calves need to get away from the crowded stress of the herd. Even summer-calving herds will find hutches used for shade and […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Reuters

Brazil expects to be declared free of foot-and-mouth with vaccination

By GFM Network News January 5, 2018

Brazil | Reuters – Brazil expects the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) to declare the country free from foot-and-mouth disease with vaccinations at a meeting in May, according to a government statement on Friday. The declaration will bolster the country’s prospects to export meat to new markets, the statement said. The OIE already considers […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Hogs, Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: CME cattle dip on mild Plains outlook, East Coast snow

By GFM Network News January 4, 2018

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures turned lower on Thursday in a technical selling and profit-taking setback and on concerns of a slowdown in beef demand in the storm-hit eastern United States, traders said. A winter storm continued its march up the U.S. East Coast on Thursday, with blizzard warnings from […] Read more

Daily Network News

Canadian drought conditions improve in March

PMRA renamed as Pesticides Regulatory Directorate

U.S. deputy farm secretary to meet with Mosaic amid high fertilizer prices

Beef Cattle