Livestock & Production Tips

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

Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Columns, Markets

Fed cattle market softens

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

By Jerry Klassen February 9, 2024

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

Livestock, Markets

Feed grain weekly outlook: Ample supplies pushing down prices

Livestock feeders well covered with U.S. corn, pressuring prices

By GFM Network News February 8, 2024

Due to good supplies, prices for feed barley and wheat continued to slide back, according to Jim Beusekom of Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge, Alta.

Livestock, Markets

Klassen: Canadian feeder market jumps on USDA data

The U.S. cattle herd reached lowest head count since 1950s, trade anticipates heifer retention

By Jerry Klassen, GFM Network News February 6, 2024

For the week ending February 2, Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were up $6/cwt to $12/cwt from seven days earlier. Certain pockets of Western Canada had grass cattle trading $12/cwt to as much as $20/cwt above the previous week.

Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner

Follow these tips for safe cattle injections

Administering medications properly can improve efficacy and decrease risk

By Beef Cattle Research Council February 6, 2024

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

Dairy Cattle, General

“Animal-free” milk gets green light in Canada

Company touts synthetic dairy as more environmentally friendly, healthy

By Geralyn Wichers, GFM Network News February 5, 2024

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.

Cattleman’s Corner, Columns, Dairy Cattle

Keep a full feed-bunk for optimum milk production

Availability of feed is important for maintaining cow body condition score

By Peter Vitti February 4, 2024

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.

Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner

Microbiome research could help in respiratory disease diagnosis

BRD is more complex than just a single bacterial indicator

By John Campbell February 2, 2024

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

Livestock, Reuters

Total US cattle herd drops to lowest level since 1951 – USDA

Easing dryness could encourage ranchers to begin rebuilding beef herds

By Reuters, Tom Polansek, GFM Network News February 2, 2024

Chicago | Reuters - The total number of U.S. cattle fell to its lowest level since 1951 as of Jan. 1, in the herd's fifth consecutive year of decline, U.S. Department of Agriculture data showed on Wednesday.

Beef Cattle, Hogs, Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: CME cattle soar as cash markets firm

By Julie Ingwersen, GFM Network News February 2, 2024

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures jumped on Thursday, buoyed by rising cash cattle prices and a government inventory report confirming that the total number of U.S. cattle fell to a 73-year low. CME April live cattle futures LCJ24 settled up 2.475 cents at 183.175 cents per pound, nearing Monday’s 2-1/2-month high of […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Markets

Beef demand outlook brightens

U.S. consumer spending — the main driver of beef demand — is improving

By Jerry Klassen February 2, 2024

U.S. and Canadian inflation reached 40-year highs in June of 2022. Interest rates reached 22-year highs in the summer of 2023. For the past two years, most financial analysts were forecasting a U.S. and Canadian recession at some point in the future. When the recessions didn’t occur, they delayed the recession forecast by three to […] Read more

Daily Network News

February canola crush up from 2025, StatCan reports

U.S. vows to seek WTO alternatives after Cameroon talks break down

Canada reports modest economic growth in January

Livestock