‘The beauty of podcasts is they can be listened to anywhere and from a wide range of devices. They’re very time efficient.’

Podcasts a great medium for expert beef advice

Beef 911: Podcasts are convenient and can offer what producers need to know, when they need to know it and with many ways to listen

We are all trying to get factual information on the health, production and welfare of our herds. Sometimes it is hard to stay abreast of all the information. Publications like this one, and websites of the Beef Cattle Research Council, Canadian Cattle Association and provincial beef producers’ groups, can help with that. YouTube videos, if

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder cattle under 500 lbs. jump over $400

U.S. beef output expected down in 2024

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices for 800-lb.-plus cattle traded $8-$10/cwt higher. Feeder cattle in the range of 600-800 lbs. were up $6-$8/cwt on average. Calves weighing 500-600 lbs. were unchanged to $10 higher, although supplies were limited. Feather-light calves under 500 lbs. traded $10 to as much as $30 over week-ago levels.


CME August 2023 lean hogs with 20-day moving average and CME cash lean hog index (brown line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs extend climb on bargain-buying

Cash prices support cattle futures

Chicago | Reuters — Benchmark lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange set a one-month high on Monday on short-covering and bargain-buying as the July contract extended its rebound from life-of-contract lows set in late May, traders said. CME July lean hogs settled up 1.975 cents at 91.6 cents/lb. after reaching 93.125 cents, the

File photo of a chicken processing line in Ukraine. (AlexanderLipko/iStock/Getty Images)

Canada extends Ukraine tariff-free access

Access to supply-managed sectors tightened

Winnipeg | Reuters — Canada on Friday extended Ukraine’s tariff-free access for most goods, but tightened access for eggs, poultry and dairy — sectors protected under the Canadian supply-management system. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said tariff relief for Ukrainian goods such as steel — a temporary measure started a year ago — would continue for


RJ Sigurdson, MLA for Highwood, is sworn in on June 9, 2023 as Alberta’s minister of agriculture and irrigation. (Government of Alberta video screengrab via YouTube)

Calgary-area MLA named Alberta’s new ag minister

RJ Sigurdson to handle ag file, Horner moves to finance

The Alberta government’s caucus lead on emergency medical services (EMS) reform has been promoted to handle the agriculture file in a post-election cabinet shuffle. RJ Sigurdson, MLA for the constituency of Highwood, just south of Calgary, was sworn in Friday by Lt.-Gov. Salma Lakhani as Alberta’s new minister of agriculture and irrigation, replacing Nate Horner.

CME July 2023 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs touch one-month high

August live cattle lower, feeders up

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures hit their highest level in more than a month on Friday following gains in cash prices. Recent advances in futures have built some upward momentum into the market, brokers said, though the sector continues to grapple with an excess of hogs and lacklustre demand for


CME August 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle down second day in a row

Chicago lean hogs close firm

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures fell Thursday on a wave of follow-through selling after contracts posted their first losses in more than a week on Wednesday. Hog futures closed firm but remained below recent peaks. Benchmark CME August live cattle futures settled down 0.95 cent at 172.25 cents/lb. (all figures US$).

Bison on pasture near Teulon, Man. on May 30, 2023. (MarketsFarm photo by Glen Hallick)

Bison industry expanding, becoming mainstream

Bison meat emerging from 'seasonal' perception

MarketsFarm — The Canadian bison industry has been through some difficult times during the last few years but is now emerging from those doldrums, according to Manitoba Bison Association president Robert Johnson. “Between the two drought years and the COVID-19 pandemic, then high feed prices, probably the last two years have been pretty crappy for


CME August 2023 feeder cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle weaken off new contract highs

Lean hogs down off highest since mid-May

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures weakened on a technical setback on Wednesday, closing in negative territory after rising to fresh contract highs during the session. Hog futures were also weaker. Benchmark CME August live cattle futures settled down 2.3 cents at 173.2 cents/lb. after posting a fresh contract high of 175.95

BCRC board member Melissa Atchison represents the beef sector at the 2023 Royal Manitoba Winter Fair.

New vaccine tools launched for cattle

Clear guidelines and infographics aim to streamline vaccination management

Cattle farmers have a new set of tools to help manage vaccination programs for their herds, courtesy of the Beef Cattle Research Council. “Vaccine schedules can be so overwhelming, and knowing when to use modified live or killed vaccines and the schedule for boosting them can be so overwhelming,” said BCRC member and Manitoba cattle