(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Cargill to restart High River beef plant Monday

Over 750 workers confirmed with COVID-19

Ottawa | Reuters — Cargill said Wednesday it will start to reopen its beef processing plant at High River, Alta. on Monday after the plant was forced to close down because hundreds of workers had become infected with the coronavirus. In a statement, Cargill said it would resume operations after a 14-day temporary shutdown, with […] Read more

A proper ration started before calving and carried on until breeding will help cows deliver a healthy calf, and also improve their reproductive performance for the coming breeding season.

Keep nutrition going through to breeding season

Proper ration needed from last trimester through to green grass

Maintaining good nutrition in beef cows after calving largely involves continuing with the well-balanced diets that were fed to them as late-gestation cows. Years of beef research demonstrate that cows that calve out in optimum body condition score of between five and six, compared to thin fresh cows, have a greater chance of an easier […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Yearling prices stay sluggish, calves hold value

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices were steady to $4 lower; calves and grass cattle were relatively unchanged. Early in the week, the mood was quite depressing; yearlings were under pressure with feedlot buyers on the sidelines. By Friday, the market appeared to be well established. Backgrounding operators have been active sellers over […] Read more

(TysonFoods.com)

Tyson to shutter beef facility as workers tested

Beef plant employees asked to isolate at home

Reuters — A Tyson Foods unit said Thursday it will temporarily halt production at a beef facility at Pasco, Washington, adding to the meat processing plant the company has had to shutter as it tests workers for COVID-19. Tyson said Wednesday it was closing two pork processing plants, including its largest in the U.S., further […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Uncertainty defines feeder market

'Hope' factor remains supportive

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices were down $3-`$5 on average while calves were unchanged to down $2. Sales were characterized by low volumes and limited buying interest. Feedlot operators are hesitant to step forward in the current environment, with packing plants on both sides of the border reducing capacity. At the same […] Read more

(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Cargill to temporarily idle High River beef plant

Packing plant hit by COVID-19 outbreak; another 67 cases linked to JBS plant

Reuters — Cargill Ltd. said Monday it had begun the process of temporarily idling its beef plant at High River, Alta. because of the COVID-19 outbreak as provincial health officials said hundreds of workers at the plant had become infected. In her daily media update, Alberta chief medical officer Deena Hinshaw said a total of […] Read more


Workers in the JBS beef plant at Brooks, Alta. appear in a screen shot from a 2018 corporate video. (JBS Canada video screengrab via YouTube)

Third major Alberta beef plant confirms COVID-19 cases

JBS in Brooks is the latest with infected workers, but will continue operations

UPDATED, April 17 — Cases of COVID-19 have now been confirmed at three of Alberta’s major beef packing plants. Three cases of COVID-19 were confirmed Wednesday at the JBS beef packing plant in Brooks, said Tom Hesse, Local 401 president with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Canada. JBS Canada spokesman Cameron Bruett confirmed some […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Beef cattle producers seek new set-aside plan

Cattle groups, Tories call for revival of BSE-era program

Canada’s beef cattle producer groups and federal Conservatives want to see the revival of a BSE-era program to hold cattle back against the risk of further lost options for slaughter. The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association on Monday hearkened back to its March 24 list of recommendations to the federal government for support measures against the impacts […] Read more


Beef industry needs to dial back production

By Lee Hart It doesn’t sound like Canada has hit a full-scale glut in beef production but it is getting close. So the message or recommendations across the beef industry is hold off on marketing cattle. That message summarizes the situation described during a Canadian Beef Industry Town Hall meeting Wednesday afternoon. It is a […] Read more

All these yearling Simmental bulls look pretty good. How do you know which will work the best for your beef operation?

Contractors can help to fill the bull roster

Experts have the contacts and understand the terminology

It’s a tried-and-true saying: “Plan for a healthy calf per every reproducing-age female each year.” But that strategy may at times demand that to get all females covered at breeding season, it becomes necessary to purchase bull power. For some cow-calf producers this can be a time- and energy-consuming task for which they are ill-prepared, […] Read more