The Big Chill

Barbecues are sitting idle across the U.S. as unseasonably cold, damp weather keeps people cooking indoors. “We are not going to invest in good steaks just to cook them on top of the stove,” Mary Jane Kasper of suburban Chicago said. That attitude has been typical this spring as cookouts have been rained out from

U.S. Meat Sales Holding Despite Higher Prices

Consumer spending at U.S. meat counters is steady to up slightly over the past two years as worries about the economy and high unemployment have waned, according to surveys presented at a meat industry convention Apr. 13 “At this point consumers are relatively happy because they are coming out of the other side of the


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ews that South Korea may soon lift a ban on Canadian beef imports could be a major boost for Canada’s beef sales abroad, an industry official says. South Korea’s agriculture minister was recently quoted as saying his country could remove the eight-year ban by the end of June. That would reopen one of Canada’s biggest



South Korea Likely To Lift Canadian Beef Import Ban

South Korea is likely to lift an eight-year ban on Canadian beef imports by the end of June and plans sweeping changes in its grain-growing and import policies in the face of rising global food prices, the country’s farm minister said April 14. Rising global food prices have prompted the country to eye participation in

Cold Weather Makes Cattle “Greener”

Cattle emit less methane in the winter than in summer, a recent study has discovered. And now that the results have been sent to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, scientists will use it to develop a more accurate picture of the true contribution of ruminants to global warming. Previously, the IPCC had not taken


Testing For BSE Worthwhile, Study Suggests

Anew industry study concludes a voluntary BSEtesting program for cattle could help boost Canada’s beef exports to Asia. But it cautions that BSE-tested beef would only be a niche market and the demand for it might be limited. Testing alone may not fully restore Canada’s beef markets lost to BSE in Japan and other Asian

U.S. Cattle Herd Expansion Underway

U.S. ranchers have begun to rebuild shrinking herds in response to record-high cattle prices, but lenders remain cautious, the head of the country’s largest cattle group said. It is the first indication that the cattle herd was going through an expansion after the financial crisis of 2008 and the ensuing global recession hurt the livestock


Cattle And Hog Groups To Lobby Electioneering Candidates

Improved market access and better business risk management programs top livestock producers’ wish list for the May 2 federal election. The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and the Canadian Pork Council vow to make trade and BRMs election issues as the campaign gets underway. They also say they will tell politicians that rising input costs and an

It’s Spring… Somewhere Else!

The food magazines are filled with recipes for light salads and all things rhubarb right now, accompanied by stories of newly green backyard gardens and the joy of seasonal eating. Sigh! Evidently, they don’t live around here. Last time I checked, the yard was a vast stretch of mud, winter’s mess of strewn branches and