Beef cattle feeding in Ontario. (DebraLee Wiseberg/iStock/Getty Images)

Ontario’s beef set-aside AgriRecovery plan underway

Applications for first intake due Dec. 22

A set-aside program has formally been launched to help Ontario’s 6,800-odd cattle producers maintain market-ready animals while Eastern Canada’s biggest beef slaughter plant remains closed. Federal and provincial officials on Monday announced applications are now open for the Canada-Ontario COVID-19 AgriRecovery Beef Emergency Feed Maintenance Initiative, with applications for the first intake period due by

CME February 2021 live cattle with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures weaken on technical setback

Hog futures up ahead of USDA data

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures eased on Monday, setting back on some mild technical selling after three days of gains, while hog futures edged higher, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) February live cattle futures settled 0.2 cent lower at 114.65 cents/lb. (all figures US$). The contract hit its highest since Nov.



Continued warm spell heats up cattle sales

Continued warm spell heats up cattle sales

A stronger loonie has warded off potential cross-border buyers

Unseasonably warm temperatures across Manitoba have kept activity high at cattle auctions this winter. “It’s been an exceptional run here at Gladstone,” said Tyler Slawinski, Gladstone Auction Mart’s auctioneer. “We traded a lot of cattle, prices were good, and I hope we continue to see that into 2021.” This week, feeder steers between 600 and


CME February 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 100-day moving average (red line) and January 2021 feeder cattle (pink line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures firm

Hogs weak despite big pork exports

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures rose to a two-week high on Thursday, their second straight day of gains, on technical buying, traders said. Hog futures were weaker despite signs of strong pork exports and firm demand from China. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) February live cattle futures settled up 0.675 cent at 114.45 cents/lb.

(Dave Bedard photo)

Guelph beef plant idled against COVID-19 outbreak

Cattle set-aside plan en route, BFO says

Agrifood giant Cargill is temporarily halting production at its beef processing plant at Guelph, Ont. in the wake of a significant COVID-19 outbreak among employees. The company announced it would “begin the process to temporarily idle” the Dunlop Drive plant effective Thursday (Dec. 17). “This was a difficult decision for our team who are operating


CME February 2021 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures firm despite weak cash markets

Hogs down on technical selling

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures firmed on Wednesday, shrugging off weakness in the cash market in anticipation of tightening supplies in the coming months, traders said. Hog futures eased on a round of technical selling. Traders were expecting a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report on Friday to show an 8.6 per cent




Individual animal treatments are often worth pursuing

Individual animal treatments are often worth pursuing

Beef 911: We focus on the herd, but it’s often worth it to treat problems specific to one animal

We focus on herd medicine, herd reproduction, production, biosecurity, animal welfare and marketing — and these, without a doubt, have a big impact on profitability as well as consumer acceptance. However, in cattle production there are still the individual cases which require our attention and can have favourable outcomes. Early detection and treatment increase our