Livestock & Production Tips

Pork is displayed for sale at a market in Hanoi, Vietnam in this Feb. 19, 2019 file photo. (Photo: Reuters/Kham)

Vietnam’s pork imports more than double amid swine fever outbreak

By Reuters, GFM Network News December 26, 2019

Hanoi | Reuters — Vietnam’s pork imports during the first 11 months of this year more than doubled to 110,000 tonnes, the ministry of finance said on Thursday, as the country’s pig herd has been battered by an outbreak of African swine fever. Since the disease was first detected in February, it has spread to […] Read more

Finishers, Livestock, Markets

Klassen: Improving margins support lightweight feeder cattle

By Jerry Klassen, GFM Network News December 24, 2019

Compared to last week, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $2 to $4 on either side of unchanged; however, calves under 650 pounds were steady to as much as $5 higher. Bids from Alberta packers were sharply higher with fed cattle trading in the range of $160 to $162 on Friday, up $5 to $6 […] Read more

Ergot can be found on a number of “grass” species and not just rye. The fungal disease can develop on timothy grass as well as most cereal grains.

Cattleman’s Corner, Cereals, Livestock

Watch closely for ergot-infected feeds

Several grasses and some grain crops can be susceptible 

By Debbie Chikousky December 23, 2019

Last spring, auction mart chat turned a problem with ergot in grasses. The conversation pointed towards lame cattle resulting from feeding timothy straw. My curiosity piqued because a high percentage of cattle producers have been feeding everything from timothy straw to pea straw, to canola straw and bakery waste for the last few years, so […] Read more

A large male wild boar — which can top 600 pounds — in a rare daytime photo. The animals tend to be nocturnal.

Columns, Livestock

A boaring threat to our meat production

The growing population of wild boar on the prairies threatens livestock production 

By Ieuan Evans December 23, 2019

People who say they have never seen wild boar should watch the ditches at dusk from Florida to Dawson Creek. I have seen them at both locations and many places in between, and more than once avoided a disastrous collision with a wild boar. Wild boar, wild swine, Sas scrofa, Eurasian wild pig or just […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Hogs, Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: Hog futures slip ahead of USDA report

By GFM Network News December 23, 2019

Chicago | Reuters – U.S. hog futures eased back on Monday, ahead of a quarterly government report that is expected to show a healthy boost to the size of the U.S. hog herd, traders said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s quarterly Hogs and Pigs report is expected to show the herd increased 2.9 percent in […] Read more

CME February 2020 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: Cattle placements top estimates

By GFM Network News December 20, 2019

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle producers placed more animals than expected into feedlots last month, U.S. Department of Agriculture data showed on Friday, raising expectations for big supplies next summer. The increase in placements will likely pressure futures prices on Monday, brokers said. Meat producers and buyers are keeping a close watch on herd […] Read more

Livestock, Machinery, Weather

New livestock transport rules include grace period for all sectors

By GFM Network News December 20, 2019

Enforcement of new federal rules for livestock transport, due to take effect Feb. 20, will focus on handler education and awareness for the first two years — and across all affected livestock species, not just cattle. The now-amended Humane Transportation of Animals regulations are meant to focus on the time frames during which animals are […] Read more

The USDA building in Washington, D.C. (Art Wager/iStock/Getty Images)

Livestock, Reuters

Fictional nation Wakanda removed from USDA trade list

By Reuters, GFM Network News December 20, 2019

Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it removed the fictional country of Wakanda from an online list of nations that have free trade agreements with the United States on Thursday. The Kingdom of Wakanda is the home of Black Panther, the Marvel superhero, and is portrayed in comic books and the 2018 […] Read more

A file photo of roosters at the World Cockfighting Championship in Cali, Colombia on March 22, 2013, an event featuring competitors from Peru, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Ecuador among other countries. (File photo: Reuters/Jaime Saldarriaga)

Livestock, Poultry/Eggs, Reuters

Puerto Rico cries foul over U.S. Congress’s cockfighting ban

By Reuters, GFM Network News December 20, 2019

San Juan | Reuters — An attempt by the U.S. Congress to ban cockfighting in Puerto Rico has set off a debate about animal cruelty, put thousands of jobs at risk and sparked a possible power struggle between the U.S. territory’s government and Washington. The 500-year-old tradition of cockfighting in Puerto Rico was due to […] Read more

CME February 2020 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: Hog futures rise on pork shipments to China

By GFM Network News December 19, 2019

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures strengthened on Thursday as the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported shipments of U.S. pork to China last week reached their highest in at least 10 months. Traders and analysts are focusing on exports to China because it is the world’s top pork consumer and has lost about half […] Read more

GFM Network News

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures gain on higher beef values, tight supplies

Mail strike disrupts grain sample delivery

U.S. grains: Soybeans tick up as market weighs crops, U.S.-China ties

Livestock