Livestock & Production Tips

When a heifer calves, she’s hopefully worth at least as much as when she was a bred heifer — and probably retains that value for at least a couple of years.

Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

Flipping cow depreciation on its head

Costs of Production: Open cows have a huge effect — especially when they are two-year-olds

By Sean McGrath February 1, 2025

I am keenly interested in cow depreciation and in fact have written about it in past Grainews columns. It is one of the largest direct expenses on a cow-calf operation — usually only behind feed — and it is worth touching on again in the wake of current record-high prices. First as a reminder, Figure […] Read more

Tyler Fulton presents at the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference. While there, he focused on the potential threat of tariffs. Photo: Melissa Jeffers-Bezan

Livestock, News

Threat of tariffs looms at Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference

Cattle groups take advocacy to U.S. livestock producers, say they need to know how tariffs will affect them

By Melissa Jeffers-Bezan January 30, 2025

The Canadian Cattle Association says threatened 25 per cent tariffs would cut Canadian wholesale beef prices by 13 per cent, but effects would be tempered slightly by the low Canadian dollar.

Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Columns, Markets

Feeder cattle prices should remain at historical highs in 2025

The Markets: Heifer retention is expected this year in both Canada and the U.S.

By Jerry Klassen January 30, 2025

At the time of writing this article in the latter half of December, U.S. and Canadian feeder cattle prices were trading at or near historical highs. I’ve received many inquiries from cattle producers regarding the price outlook for feeder cattle in 2025. The benchmark for the western Canadian feeder market is central Alberta. During December […] Read more

Livestock

Efficiency called key to reducing beef industry carbon footprint

Focus on improving production efficiency around the world, not eating less meat says JBS scientist

By Melissa Jeffers-Bezan January 29, 2025

Efficiency is key when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the beef sector said Sarah Klopatek at the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference on January 29 in Saskatoon, Sask.

Beef Cattle, Hogs, Livestock

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures correct off highs

By Phil Franz-Warkentin January 29, 2025

Live and fed cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange backed away from their contract highs on Wednesday, as chart-based positioning weighed on values.

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Livestock, Reuters

EU agencies track bird flu virus variants on increasing threat to humans

By Reuters January 29, 2025

Two European regulators said on Wednesday they were tracking variants of the bird flu virus due to the threat of the pathogen adapting to spread between humans and triggering future pandemics.

As cattle have gotten larger, their requirements for water grow.

Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

Larger cattle need more water

Animal Health: Long-term trends in the beef sector continue to evolve

By Roy Lewis January 29, 2025

The only constant is change and I have seen a lot of changes in beef production; this article will outline some of them. With lots of evidence of warmer summers, water access is paramount in most of our eyes. There’s more capacity for access by all classes of cattle, including from newly designed water troughs […] Read more

Acidosis, whether subclinical or acute, can have significant effects on a dairy herd’s health.

Cattleman’s Corner, Columns, Dairy Cattle, The Dairy Corner

Dear Dairy Diary: SARA in lactating dairy cows

Dairy Corner: Changing the effective forage fibre resulted in subtle but important improvements

By Peter Vitti January 29, 2025

Dear Dairy Diary, June 24, 2024: I received a call from a dairy producer who milks about 200 dairy cows. Several of his lactating cows were lethargic, quit eating and milking and had severe diarrhea. The producer moved a bubbly loose pile with his boot and noticed a lot of undigested corn and what seemed […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Hogs, Livestock

U.S. livestock: Cattle rally continues

By Phil Franz-Warkentin January 28, 2025

Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange hit fresh contract highs once again on Tuesday, with expectations for declining U.S. inventories behind some of the buying interest.

Beef Cattle, Livestock, Markets

Klassen: Western Canadian feeder market holds value on Ontario demand

By Jerry Klassen January 28, 2025

For the week ending January 25, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $$3-$6/cwt on either side of unchanged compared to seven days earlier. Higher quality genetics and lower flesh replacements were slightly firmer; however, feedlot operators incorporated the appropriate discounts on fleshier types and lower efficiency, smaller frame animals.

Daily Network News

Pulse Weekly: War, weather affecting Manitoba pulse prospects

JBS posts flat Q4 profit on record sales but lower U.S. beef margins

Brazil soybean planting outlook hinges on Middle East war, says Agroconsult