Photo: Canada Beef Inc.

Klassen: Feeder market continues to climb

Canadian values appear to be one week behind the U.S. market

For the week ending February 10, Western Canadian the market for yearlings over 800 pounds was $3/cwt to $6/cwt compared to a week earlier. Feeder cattle suited for grass and calves were up $8/cwt to as much as $25/cwt in some cases compared to the week prior. Quality steers averaging 600 pounds were readily trading in the range of $410-$425 up from the range of $380-$395 last week.


Absent a significant rally in Chicago June and August live cattle, the market for backgrounded cattle is not sustainable moving forward.

Fed cattle market softens

The longer-term outlook remains bright, despite lots of cattle on feed

During the first week of January, Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis in the range of $363-$365 per hundredweight delivered. This was down marginally from the price range of $368-$370/cwt. during the week of December. In Kansas and Texas, live prices were US$171/cwt., down US$4/cwt. from 30 days earlier. U.S. packers […] Read more




Administering an injection on cattle

Follow these tips for safe cattle injections

Administering medications properly can improve efficacy and decrease risk

Over the last two decades, great strides have been made in standardizing beef cattle injection techniques and methods. Today, there are animal injection best practices that have become widely known in the beef industry as “just the right thing to do.” These cattle injection techniques are recommended to help farmers produce safe beef for the […] Read more


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“Animal-free” milk gets green light in Canada

Company touts synthetic dairy as more environmentally friendly, healthy

In a news release today, Israeli startup Remilk, which uses the tagline "Real Dairy. No Milk," announced it had received a 'No Objection Letter' from Health Canada. This will "open the door for use of Remilk's protein in a variety of products with the same taste and texture as milk, ice cream, yogurt, cream cheese, and more," the company said.

A full feed bunk not long after TMR feeding.

Keep a full feed-bunk for optimum milk production

Availability of feed is important for maintaining cow body condition score

The common feed bunk in dairy barns should be managed to get a consistent daily intake of nutritious feed into lactating cows. This practice stabilizes feed’s rate of passage and its fermentation/digestion in the cow’s rumen and lower digestive tract. In turn, it ultimately meets the essential requirements of energy, protein, effective forage fibre, minerals […] Read more


BRD is the most common reason for administering antimicrobial drugs to cattle and is probably one of the most important economic diseases of beef cattle in North America.

Microbiome research could help in respiratory disease diagnosis

BRD is more complex than just a single bacterial indicator

The fall calf run will have finished up and calves will now be into feedlots. Many calves travel to feed yards via auction markets and one of the major disease risks associated with the stresses of weaning, mixing and transportation is the syndrome known as bovine respiratory disease (BRD). BRD is the most common reason […] Read more