Insights and Stories on Beef Cattle

Klassen: Feeder market showing strength in deferred positions

Mar. 29, 2022 at 3:49 am CDT

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices were $3-$5 lower on average while calves traded steady to $4 lower. Outside central Alberta, the steer-heifer spread appeared to widen by $2-$4. Strength in corn futures contributed to the defensive tone. Feedlot operators buying hand-to-mouth have been caught off guard with […]

Klassen: Feeder cattle market experiences volatility

Mar. 15, 2022 at 1:02 pm CDT

By Jerry Klassen

JBS to help fund home purchases for Brooks staff

Mar. 3, 2022 at 6:55 pm CST

By Dave Bedard

JBS reaches ‘icebreaker’ settlement of beef price-fixing claims

Feb. 2, 2022 at 9:49 pm CST

By jonathan-stempel

Klassen: Feeder market establishes short-term stability

Feb. 1, 2022 at 6:55 pm CST

By Jerry Klassen

Transport strains pile on drought-induced feed shortages

Jan. 25, 2022 at 8:03 pm CST

Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian farmers say they are just days away from running out of feed for cattle, due to severe drought last summer damaging crops needed to fatten them over winter and transportation bottlenecks. The drought devastated Prairie pastures and has now forced feedlots in Alberta, the main […]

By Rod Nickel

U.S. livestock: Hog slaughter hits five-month low on Omicron spread

Jan. 12, 2022 at 6:23 pm CST

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures rose on bargain buying on Wednesday, traders said, though U.S. pig slaughtering sank to its lowest level since August as rising cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant hit meat plants. Live cattle and feeder cattle futures slumped as traders remain […]

By Tom Polansek

‘Atypical’ BSE shows up in Alberta cow

Dec. 17, 2021 at 8:15 pm CST

Updated –– Canada’s first case of BSE since the country achieved “negligible risk” status for the brain-wasting cattle disease isn’t expected to affect trade in Canadian beef. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Friday it has notified the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) of a case of “atypical” bovine […]

By Dave Bedard

Cargill beef plant workers to vote on new negotiated offer

Dec. 1, 2021 at 4:59 pm CST

Workers at Cargill’s major beef slaughter and packing plant in Alberta will vote this week on a new offer which it’s hoped will avert a strike or lockout, both due to start Monday. The new offer follows a “marathon” of negotiations Tuesday between Cargill representatives and the bargaining committee for […]

By Dave Bedard

Cargill serves lockout notice on High River workers

Nov. 25, 2021 at 7:45 pm CST

Updated — Whether in a strike or a lockout, workers at one of Canada’s biggest beef slaughter plants took another step toward the picket line this week by voting to reject the company’s latest contract offer. A vote conducted Tuesday and Wednesday by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) […]

By Dave Bedard