CME May 2023 feeder cattle (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average and CME March 2023 feeder cattle (brown O/H/L/C). (Barchart)

Klassen: Canadian feeder market rationing demand

Demand from Ontario remains aggressive

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices were up $4-$6 while calf markets traded $6 to as much as $10 above week-ago levels. May feeder cattle futures are trading at a $8 premium to the nearby March contract. The carrying charge in the futures market has encouraged buyers to step forward sooner rather than […] Read more

The nutritional requirements of calved-out first-calf heifers is much different than that of mature cows, yet the feed needs to be presented into a denser post-calving diet due to the heifers’ smaller dry matter intake (DMI) and lower forage gut-capacity.

First-calf heifers need to be prepared for rebreeding

They need to calve in good condition and then be kept in good condition as they also continue to grow and nurse a calf

It’s easy to envision beef heifers that give birth to their first calf only as a younger version of mature brood cows. However, they do have extra challenges after calving that must be addressed to get rebred in the next few months. As young animals, giving birth for the first time and nursing a newborn […] Read more


On the McGrath ranch they manage grazing at a very intensive level with various record keeping apps, charts, monitoring points and other systems in place.

Calculating ‘cow bushels per acre’

Most grain crops are measured by bushels per acre, so why not do the same for forage?

If you’re familiar with grain farming, the term “bushels per acre” is a common frame of reference for measuring yield. There are nuances around this, such as moisture level, bushel weight and protein content, but bushels per acre is a relatively well understood industry standard. When we think about a lot of the cow-calf industry […] Read more



Veterinarian Susie Lutz uses her arms to manually help dilate or stretch the vulva and vagina of this cow that is about to give birth.

Tips on when and how to check a cow when calving

It’s a combination of art and science to know when to assist in a birth without being too forceful

Most cows and heifers near calving progress normally through the three stages of labour: early labour, active labour with abdominal straining, and expulsion of the placenta after delivery of the calf. Uterine contractions in early labour get the calf aimed toward the birth canal, the cervix dilates, and the calf starts through. The water sac […] Read more

Brazilian meatpacker JBS SA’s logo on a tower in Jundiai, northwest of Sao Paulo in southeastern Brazil, on June 1, 2017. (File photo: Reuters/Paulo Whitaker)

Beef consumption to rise in China, JBS predicts

China seen as more competitive in domestic chicken, pork markets

Sao Paulo | Reuters — Demand for beef in China is expected to rise as the country still has relatively low per capita consumption, Gilberto Tomazoni, chief executive of JBS SA, said on Wednesday during a business conference. He said Brazil and the U.S., where JBS has meat facilities, are well positioned to meet China’s […] Read more


Photo: Canada Beef

Klassen: Feeder market percolates higher amid finicky buyers

Ontario feedlots bring demand for West's calves

Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded steady to $4 higher on average. Certain pockets in Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan had steer calves up $4-$8 from week-ago levels. Alberta values were relatively unchanged from seven days earlier on all weight categories. Steady demand was noted from Ontario feedlots for calves while Alberta […] Read more

(RyanJLane/E+/Getty Images)

U.S. beef cow herd falls to lowest level since 1962, USDA says

Last year saw record cull, Rabobank reports

Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. beef cow herd dropped to its lowest level since 1962, U.S. Department of Agriculture data showed on Tuesday, after a severe drought raised costs for livestock feed. Ranchers increasingly sent cows to slaughter last year, instead of keeping them to reproduce, as dry weather reduced the amount of pasture […] Read more


The Tipperary cattle station runs primarily Brahman cattle that can handle high heat and low nutrition fodder in the dry season and humid conditions in the wet. Most are sold to markets in Indonesia and Vietnam.

Producing beef over a million acres

It’s a good year for producing cattle in Australia’s Northern Territory

There’s no doubt about it — the ongoing increase in beef prices has been a welcome boost to the coffers of the Tipperary Group of cattle stations in Australia’s Northern Territory. However, general manager David Connolly knows he can’t rest on his laurels as the situation could change at any time if market dynamics follow […] Read more

File photo of a cow grazing near Leader, Sask., about 85 km south of Kindersley. (James_Gabbert/iStock/Getty Images)

Saskatchewan holds Crown grazing rents at last year’s levels

Also, leaseholders on drought-downgraded land eligible for rate cut

Cattle producers leasing Crown land for grazing in Saskatchewan won’t see a rate hike this year and may be eligible for a significant rate cut. The provincial government announced Wednesday it has frozen the rates charged to producers who lease Crown grazing land in 2023 at their 2022 level. The freeze will apply to all […] Read more