Tyson Foods: High gasoline prices threaten beef demand

washington / reuters / U.S. consumers may try to save money by eating less meat if they continue to feel the pinch of high gasoline prices, the chief executive of Tyson Foods said Feb. 24. “People want meat… but it’s getting pretty expensive,” CEO Donnie Smith told reporters at an agricultural conference in Washington, D.C.

After a bright 2011, U.S. beef exports might wane

Foreign markets can display acute price sensitivity that could constrain demand 2011 was a banner year for U.S meat exporters, with beef, pork and poultry exports all hitting record levels on the back of dietary adjustments and increased affluence in overseas markets. But beef shipments petered out notably towards the end of the year just


Analysts wonder when, how feeder demand will break

Feeder cattle moving through Manitoba’s auction yards continued to see good demand and firm prices during the week ended March 2. “Prices are staying very strong,” said Keith Cleaver of Heartland Livestock Services at Brandon, citing the continued firmness in U.S. futures together with a reduction in cattle numbers in Western Canada as supportive influences.

Livestock briefs, March 8, 2012

Canadian beef and hog herds finally on the rise reuters / Canada’s herds of cattle and hogs rose at Jan. 1, turning around a long-term downsizing trend on the strength of high prices. Cattle ranchers benefited from prices rising throughout 2011, while hog prices reached a seven-year high in the second half of the year,


Common pitfalls of semen evaluation

In the past 31 years of semen evaluating bulls, I have come across many tricks of the trade to make this procedure run very smoothly. Every situation is different and every set of bulls somewhat unique so most of these points involve common-sense and casual observations I have made over the years. A common dilemma

Livestock briefs, March 8, 2012

Forage specialist advises Texas cattlemen to hold off A Texas AgriLife Extension Service forage specialist is advising state beef producers not to get too enthusiastic about recent rainfalls, which followed many months of record drought. “After the drought, remain destocked,” Dr. Larry Redmon says in an AgriLife release. “Just because you see green in the



Cattle tumble after setting record high

U.S. live cattle futures fell sharply March 2 in a profit-taking setback ahead of the weekend, after posting an all-time high late this week, amid worries that demand for high-priced beef may soon begin to wane, traders said. The plunge came as cash cattle in the southern U.S. Plains traded at a record-high $130 per hundredweight, up


Trucking front and centre in talks on new beef code

What’s the most commonly raised topic in the letters that land on federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz’s desk? If you guessed the Canadian Wheat Board, you’d be wrong. “Animal transport is the issue that he gets the most letters on from constituents,” said Canadian Cattlemen’s Association vice-president Martin Unrau at a recent town hall meeting.

China trip boosts food industry

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s trade mission to China seems to have opened doors for major Canadian agri-food exporters. Now they’ll have to translate those agreements into orders. The beef, pork, pulse and canola sectors all received special attention during the visit and the Canadian Wheat Board got to remind everyone it isn’t going out of