Cattle producers need to be aware, as we head toward 2025, that a small change in supply has a large influence on price.

Cattle herd declines while economy expands

One per cent increase in consumer spending means one per cent increase in beef demand

I often place myself two years in the future, with a view of the past two years. The old saying is that hindsight is 20/20. Well then, place yourself in the future and look backward. If I were giving a cattle market outlook in March 2026, the summary would be the following: During 2024, feeder […] Read more


The level of worm concentration on a pasture is usually in line with the level of cow and calf grazing activity.

Solid deworming programs essential for grazing cows

Understanding the lifecycle of the major worms found in pastures helps with treatment timing

Whenever I heard of a beef cow herd infected with brown stomach roundworms (Ostertagi ostertagi), I used to envision a cow’s abomasum filled with large and living ropes. Then, I looked at some pictures in a cattle parasite book and to my surprise, this common gastrointestinal worm is no more than a quarter- to half-inch […] Read more

The U.S. calf crop for 2023 came in at 33.593 million head, down 846,500 from the 2022 calf crop of 34.44 million.

Lower U.S. calf crop supports cattle complex

Conditions are developing that should support record calf prices next fall

The Alberta fed cattle market remains under pressure due to a buildup of market-ready cattle, larger carcass weights and seasonally low demand. During the last week of January, Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis in the range of $360-$365 per hundredweight delivered. Live bids f.o.b. feedlot in southern Alberta were quoted […] Read more


Beef cows’ TDN energy maintenance requirements generally increase about two per cent for every degree Celsius drop in temperature below freezing.

Beef cows in good condition, feed accordingly

Optimize cows' condition with target diets based on the animals' BCS

A warm start to winter has caused many beef cows after weaning to come off pasture in decent shape. Some of these cows are not truly obese, but they retained a lot of flesh. Those beef cows in optimum body condition should be put on a nutritious feeding program that maintains them until they calve […] Read more

It makes sense to place positivity and profit above production values on ranches.

Rethinking ranch priorities

Positivity and profit can be more important priorities than production

The beginning of a New Year marks a good time to work on planning for the year ahead. I believe we should be planning for “Profitivity” on our farms and ranches. Profitivity is a combination of profitability, productivity and positivity. For an operation to thrive, these three things are important to get right. Profit and […] Read more



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