Livestock & Production Tips

Photo: Michelle Erickson-Jones/iStock/Getty Images

U.S. Livestock: Falling temps boost cattle futures

By Phil Franz-Warkentin January 6, 2025

Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange were stronger Monday, hitting fresh contract highs in many months as forecasts calling for cold temperatures across United States ranching areas raised concerns over reduced weight gains for grazing cattle.

Livestock, News, Reuters

US to award $306 million for bird flu monitoring and preparedness

By Reuters January 3, 2025

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Friday it would award $306 million (C$441.7 million) in funds to help bird flu monitoring, as the virus spreads in dairy herds and farm workers across the country.

Beef Cattle, Livestock, Markets

Klassen: Feeder market has many factors to digest in 2025

By Jerry Klassen December 31, 2024

For the week ending December 28, there were no feeder cattle sales in Western Canada; however, that didn’t stop cattle producers from emailing or calling me over the holidays inquiring about market direction. I thought it would be an opportune time to discuss a couple factors that will influence the market direction over the next couple of months.

Dr. Leluo Guan University of British Columbia professor is leading a $7.9 million project to better understand methane processes in cattle rumens. Photo: UBC

Beef Cattle, Livestock, News

$7.9 million cattle research project aims to find rumen efficiencies

Cross-Canada project to reduce methane production will be led by UBC researcher

By John Greig December 27, 2024

A pan-Canadian research project will try to understand more about how methane is generated in the rumen of beef and dairy cattle.

Livestock, News, Reuters

COMMENT: How honeybees can help us monitor pollution across Canada

By Simon Harper, The Conversation via Reuters Connect, Tony Robert Walker December 27, 2024

The honey produced by the tireless work of the honeybee is nothing short of an untapped goldmine of environmental data that could help us better understand the spread of environmental pollutants.

Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

The fall run: the rancher’s sprint

A Little Bit Western: Most of the revenue, data and calf movement come in the fall

By Tara Mulhern Davidson December 26, 2024

I like to joke that ranching is a marathon, except when it is a sprint, and then it’s that too. There are certainly times when you are racing from one urgent task to another. While it feels like the rest of the working world has three to five business days to respond to a request, […] Read more

Livestock, Markets

Klassen: Feeder market finishes 2024 on strong tone

By Jerry Klassen December 24, 2024

For the week ending December 21, Western Canadian backgrounded cattle and heavier calves were unchanged to $5 lower on average. Calves in the 600-800 pound range were relatively unchanged while calves under 600 pounds were steady to $10 higher.

Livestock, News

Canadian milk tests negative for bird flu

By Geralyn Wichers December 23, 2024

Canadian milk continues to test negative for avian influenza, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said.

Photo: jjmiller11/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Livestock

Bovine tuberculosis case highlights need for traceability

Producers want compensation for disinfection costs after bovine tuberculosis found in Saskatchewan

By Geralyn Wichers December 20, 2024

The Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association is emphasizing the importance of biosecurity and record keeping after a positive case of bovine tuberculosis was traced to a cattle herd in that province.

Barley, Corn, Livestock, Markets, Spring Wheat, Winter Wheat

Feed Grains Weekly: Trump looms over Prairie feed market

Weaker Canadian dollar less of an influence

By Glen Hallick - MarketsFarm December 19, 2024

Currently, United States President-elect Donald Trump is more of an influence on Western Canadian feed grain prices than a weaker Canadian dollar said Brandon Motz of CorNine Commodities in Lacombe, Alta.

Daily Network News

U.S. finalizes biofuel blending quotas for 2026-27, cuts RINS for foreign feedstocks

U.S. corn planting seen down, soy acres up as Iran war inflates costs, analysts say

Producers affected by bovine TB receive extended tax deferral