Livestock & Production Tips

File photo of a rooster being swabbed in testing for avian influenza. (Merrimon/iStock/Getty Images)

China reports first human case of H3N8 bird flu

By Reuters, GFM Network News April 26, 2022

Beijing | Reuters — China has recorded the first human infection with the H3N8 strain of bird flu, the country’s health authority said on Tuesday, but said the risk of it spreading among people was low. A four-year-old boy from central Henan province was found to have been infected with the variant after developing a […] Read more

Calves are being sold sooner than expected while cow culling rates are higher than normal. Photo: Thinkstock

Finishers, Livestock, Markets

Klassen: Adverse weather tempers feeder cattle market

By Jerry Klassen, GFM Network News April 26, 2022

Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $3-$4 on either side of unchanged. Southern Alberta experienced severe wind and dust storms last week which softened buying interest from a large portion of feedlot operators. At the same time, grass conditions are quite variable across the Prairies despite the recent precipitation. Cooler temperatures […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Hogs, Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: CME cattle, hog futures hit two week lows on robust supplies

By Mark Weinraub, GFM Network News April 25, 2022

Chicago | Reuters – CME Group live cattle and hog futures fell to two-week lows on Monday, pressured by bearish government supply reports released late on Friday. “There’s no shortage of market supplies or beef production until the fourth quarter at the earliest,” brokerage StoneX wrote in a note to clients. The U.S. Agriculture Department said on […] Read more

Livestock, Poultry/Eggs

High-path avian flu arrives in Manitoba poultry

More farms also hit in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario, bringing total to 40 across Canada

By Dave Bedard, GFM Network News April 25, 2022

Federal and provincial animal health officials have confirmed the arrival of highly pathogenic avian influenza on a commercial poultry operation in Manitoba, making it the seventh province so affected. The provincial ag ministry said Sunday that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency had confirmed high-path H5N1 avian flu in a commercial flock in the RM of […] Read more

File photo of chicks on a genetic map of a chicken. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Livestock, Poultry/Eggs, Reuters

H7N3 avian flu found in chickens in Mexico, near Texas border

By Reuters, GFM Network News April 25, 2022

Mexico City | Reuters — Mexico’s agriculture ministry on Saturday reported outbreaks of highly pathogenic H7N3 bird flu virus in two hatching egg production barns in the northern state of Coahuila, which borders on Texas. The strain in question has existed in some regions of the country since 2012, the ministry said in a statement. […] Read more

CME June 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines). (Barchart)

Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle retreat off two-month high

U.S. cattle on feed up two per cent; Chicago lean hogs end higher

By Julie Ingwersen, GFM Network News April 23, 2022

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange ended lower on Friday in a profit-taking setback from two-month highs amid worries about inflation curbing consumer demand for beef, traders said. Larger-than-expected numbers of U.S. cattle on feed announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture after the CME close could pressure futures […] Read more

Hogs, Livestock, Reuters

McDonald’s calls Icahn demands on sourcing pigs ‘unfeasible’

Investor cites company's 10-year-old pledge

By GFM Network News April 22, 2022

Boston | Reuters — McDonald’s Corp on Thursday said Carl Icahn’s call for the fast food chain to stop buying pork from suppliers that house the animals in crates would be logistically unfeasible and prohibitively expensive. The billionaire investor, who owns roughly US$50,000 worth of McDonald’s stock, is pushing the company to change how it […] Read more

File photo of a small flock of tundra swans taking off from a grain field in early spring. (WWing/iStock/Getty Images)

Livestock, Machinery, Poultry/Eggs

Spring planting work can kick up avian flu, feather sector warns

Three more poultry outbreaks confirmed in Canada so far this week

By Dave Bedard, GFM Network News April 22, 2022

Spring planting work could soon start to bring unintended gifts left by wild birds from fields into farmyards, Ontario’s poultry and egg sectors warn, as more cases of avian flu are confirmed at poultry farms across the country. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Thursday reported three additional outbreaks of H5 avian influenza in commercial […] Read more

CME June 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle hit two-month peak

Rising cash markets support cattle; hogs down for third straight session

By Julie Ingwersen, GFM Network News April 22, 2022

Chicago | Reuters –– Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange jumped to a two-month high on Thursday, led by firming cash cattle markets and optimism about a seasonal climb in U.S. beef demand as the summer grilling season nears, traders said. CME June live cattle futures settled up 1.275 cents at 139.9 cents/lb. […] Read more

'It is important for producers to encourage and work with female vets… I have met many that can definitely do anything that I did in practice.' – Roy Lewis.

Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

Creative ideas on accessing veterinary care

Animal Health: A few thoughts on how producers can perhaps help fewer veterinarians reach more animals

By Roy Lewis April 21, 2022

With a lot of talk about the shortage of veterinarians, especially large-animal practitioners but also small-animal and emergency veterinarians, steps are being taken to increase veterinary school graduates. It was recently announced that the University of Calgary vet school will expand from the current 50 students as of two years ago to 100 students within […] Read more

GFM Network News

Women who fed a nation

U.S. grains: Soybeans rise on China demand hopes; corn and wheat rebound

U.S. livestock: Hogs rebound, cattle hit upward limits

Livestock