Cattle markets beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Producers are cleaning out their pens ahead of year-end

As the last few days of 2017 wind down, so too does activity at most auction marts in the province. Volumes were noticeably weaker during the week ended Dec. 15 as producers cleaned out their pens before the end of the year. Just over 5,000 animals made their way to Manitoba’s eight major outlets, compared

Beef producers are being asked to fill out a survey on cattle losses during this fall’s district meetings.

MBP seeks producer data on predation losses

Beef operators are urged to fill out a survey and help assess the extent of the problem

Manitoba Beef Producers needs members to put some numbers to what they say is the impact predators are having on the provincial beef herd. They repeatedly hear about losses and producers now make impassioned pleas to have something done about the pressure on herds, particularly from wolf attacks, general manager Brian Lemon told district meetings which


Cows herded in to holding pen

Rising Chicago futures support Manitoba values

Availability of trucks may soon become a market issue

Cattle prices rose at Manitoba auction marts during the week ended Oct. 27, as futures prices on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange helped push up sales. “Just about every day it’s been positive (on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange) and that’s what is holding the market probably together on the feeder cattle,” said Robin Hill with Heartland

Processed meat products are particularly hard to test for adulteration.

Rapid detection of meat fraud

Spanish researchers say a new biosensor can give test results within an hour


In recent years meat fraud has been a growing problem. Unscrupulous sellers have been caught adulturating beef with cheaper horsemeat and swapping chicken for turkey in sausages labelled 100 per cent turkey. Now researchers from the Complutense University of Madrid say they’ve developed an electrochemical biosensor that can quickly detect a DNA fragment unique to


Editorial: Changing times, changing tastes

It’s not unusual for grownup kids to call ahead before coming home to give the resident cook time to prepare their special requests, usually for the likes of apple pie that fill the house with delicious aromas and the heart with warmth. But this time, the request was unusual. “If you’re bored this weekend, could

This small outbuilding near Gilbert Plains is a designated heritage site, as one of the few beef ring buildings still standing in Manitoba.

Beef rings speak volumes of local history

These early informal co-operatives kept beef on the table in the warm summer months before refrigeration

The recorded history of the settling of Western Canada is a sketchy affair. I am not referring to history as we ordinarily think of it, such as treaties, battles, or political decisions, but rather the histories of families, communities, and the evolution of a society largely cast upon their own devices in what was a


Summer slowdown begins for Manitoba auction marts

Summer slowdown begins for Manitoba auction marts

Signals point to a market getting set to weaken

The dog days of summer have arrived at auction marts in Manitoba, as just 827 cattle were sold during the week ended June 23, well down from the previous week when 1,890 animals were sold. Prices stayed relatively firm, however, with some mild strengthening on a few of the light heifer classes. For instance, heifers

Editorial: On your watch

The recent images from poultry operations in B.C.’s Fraser Valley are fresh in the minds of many Canadians. That’s not good news for the livestock sector. What they’ve revealed is unflattering, shocking and immoral. Contract ‘chicken catchers’ were caught on video stomping on birds, simulating sex acts on them and ripping limbs from living animals.


Cattle markets descend into correction mode from rally

Cattle markets descend into correction mode from rally

Beef demand is expected to slip after Father’s Day

The spring cattle rally may be finally coming to an end. Bids for most classes at stockyards across the province were the same or even slightly lower in some cases during the week ended May 12. Heavier-weight animals were steady to lower, with heifers (800-900 lbs.) down $3-$5. Steers (400-500 lbs.) were also down roughly

Cattle destined for grass going to auction instead

Cattle destined for grass going to auction instead

Strong demand and rising futures boost sale prices

Prices for cattle at auction marts across Manitoba were sharply higher on the week, leading to an influx of cattle, touching “unheard of” levels in some areas, according to one local auctioneer. “Quite often, by the time we’re at the end of April we’re getting into those 400-, 500-head sales,” said Allan Munroe of Killarney