(File photo)

Livestock auction marts to decide on next steps

Livestock Marketing Association of Canada pondering next move in face of pandemic

You may want to call first to see if it’s open, but many auction marts in Alberta were still having sales on Tuesday morning. The Livestock Marketing Association of Canada has a conference call set for this evening to discuss COVID-19 safety measures for staff, customers and buyers, said Chance Martin, an LMAC director and



(TysonFoods.com)

U.S. under pressure to keep slaughterhouses open

Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking to reassure meat producers it will keep slaughterhouses staffed with federal inspectors as fears about potential shutdowns due to the COVID-19 coronavirus hammer livestock prices and fuel concerns about food supplies, meat industry groups said on Monday. Livestock markets have been hit hard as

CME June 2020 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures hit 10-year lows

Coronavirus stokes demand uncertainty

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures plunged on Monday to their lowest in nearly a decade, with traders citing uncertainty about what the coronavirus pandemic will mean for long-term demand. Hog futures also were sharply lower, sinking to their lowest since October 2018. All fed cattle contracts and most hog contracts settled down the


CBOT May 2020 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soy, wheat book multi-month lows

Financial markets continue to drag commodities lower

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures sank to multi-month lows on Monday on worries about the coronavirus pandemic denting the global economy and chilling end-user demand for commodities, traders said. “The fear is still that it will only get worse as the week unfolds,” said Mark Schultz, chief analyst at Northstar Commodity

Editor’s Take: We’re all in this together

As the March 19 issue went to press, Manitoba has confirmed its first three cases of COVID-19 infections (now expanded to seven). Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had entered a 14-day isolation period after his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, tested positive for the virus after returning from a speaking engagement in the U.K. Parliamentarians had suspended


(Nathan4847/iStock/Getty Images)

COVID-19 and farm workers: How do we manage on the farm?

Keeping up to date with COVID-19 details and recommended protocols is challenging for everyone at this time. CAHRC has created a dedicated web page with the latest information, recommendations, employee management tips, tools (posters, policies) and links to authorities. These details will help you respond to the pandemic and limit the impact and spread of

First rural Manitoba COVID-19 case reported

First rural Manitoba COVID-19 case reported

Rural testing centres set to open in the next week

Three more “presumptive” cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the province, including one in the Interlake. That brings the total number of Manitoba cases of the novel coronavirus that’s sweeping the globe to seven, the province announced Sunday. The Interlake case is the first one that’s been logged outside of Winnipeg. The province will


Brandon’s dome building has been a mark of the Provincial Exhibition for over a century.

COVID-19 fears put a halt to agricultural events

The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, annual meeting of the Manitoba Pork Council and KAP’s Discover Ag in the City have all been cancelled

The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair tops the list of agriculture-related events facing cancellation due to the COVID-19 outbreak. “We’ve been monitoring this situation as it’s been developing all along,” Ron Kristjansson, general manger of the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba, said. “Obviously, public safety needs to be a huge concern for us in the events business

Oil is an “imperfect barometer” for how other commodities will perform, FCC’s J.P. Gervais says. (Screengrab from Farm Credit Canada video via YouTube)

Impacts on ag expected as COVID-19 rocks markets

Farmers urged to manage expenses

Stocks continuing to plunge during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic have left agricultural producers in Canada concerned about the potential impact. Thursday marked the biggest drop in Canadian stocks in 80 years, highlighted by many economists warning the country is on the brink of recession. Beyond growing fears of COVID-19’s economic impact, oil and gas stocks