If you haven’t implemented an implant program into your operation, think of doing it now.

Important to follow proper implanting technique for calves

Growth implants can generate at least a 15:1 return on investment

After all these years, implanting is still one of the most underutilized management tools in beef production. The feedlot sector has pretty much adopted implanting routinely, but the cow-calf sector lags far behind. It is one thing if “natural, hormone-free, or organic” beef is being raised and implants must be avoided as part of these […] Read more

Photo: Thinkstock

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures extend rally; hog contracts weaken

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures rose to their highest in more than seven weeks on Tuesday, with traders noting follow-through buying after the market rallied on Monday. Concerns about supplies and strength in the cash market underpinned cattle futures. CME December live cattle futures settled up 1.925 cents at 131.45 per […] Read more



Photo: Thinkstock

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures rise on support from fewer cattle placements

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures rose on Monday, as the market continued to be bolstered by a government report showing fewer cattle placements than expected, traders said. The USDA’s monthly cattle on feed report, released after the market close on Friday, showed September cattle placements at 97% year-over-year, beneath trade estimates […] Read more





(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Walmart stakes big claim on Canadian sustainable beef

Retailer pledges to take over 680 tonnes in 2022

The Canadian arm of the world’s biggest retailer has put a number to its previous commitment to source certified-sustainable beef for its grocery business. Walmart Canada on Thursday announced it has committed to buy 1.5 million pounds of beef sourced from farms and ranches certified to Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) standards over the […] Read more

A tract of Amazon jungle burns as it is cleared by farmers at Rio Pardo in Brazil’s Rondonia state on Sept. 15, 2019. (File photo: Reuters/Ricardo Moraes)

Brazil’s JBS bought 301,000 cattle from ‘irregular’ farms in Amazon, audit finds

Prosecutors 'negotiating improvements' with companies

Sao Paulo | Reuters — Nearly a third of the cattle bought by JBS SA in the Brazilian Amazon state of Para came from ranches with “irregularities” such as illegal deforestation, prosecutors found in a 2020 audit of the world’s largest meatpacker released on Thursday. In a presentation, federal prosecutors said they were “negotiating improvements” […] Read more


Dr. Brett Terhaar from Frontier Veterinary Services in Winterset, IA using ultra sound equipment for prep checking cattle.

The pros and cons of different preg-check options for cows

Herd size and speed of test can point to the best technique

Pregnancy testing methods include palpation, ultrasound and blood tests. Dr. Don Driedger of Driedger Veterinary Services in Lloydminster, Alta., does a lot of pregnancy testing in his area, and uses both palpation and ultrasound. “The main reason most producers preg-check is to decrease the number of cows that are just freeloading through winter,” says Driedger. […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market continues consolidation

U.S. corn northbound into Prairies

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices were relatively unchanged while calf markets were down $2-$3 on average. Feedlot inventories in Alberta and Saskatchewan are 30 per cent above the five-year average; therefore, demand is lacking moving into the main marketing period for calves. Finishing feedlots have sufficient ownership and being fairly finicky on […] Read more