Ranchers in Western Canada have faced some real challenges this spring. For some early calvers the late winter posed some serious problems for mortality, and now the hot, dry conditions are posing major grass concerns. There has been talk of cattle already being pulled off southern pastures to be moved up north. From a marketing,... Read More
Category: Livestock
It has been a busy week in the cattle markets, as Canada and the United States are on the brink of a trade war that we would not have imagined a year ago. Much of that is out of the control of feedyard owners and ranchers, but the impacts will most certainly be felt, depending... Read More
Youth involved in 4-H dairy programs have an extra reason to celebrate World Milk Day today. Saputo has announced a partnership with 4-H Canada that will see the dairy processor invest $660,000 over the next three years. The partnership will support members in 4-H dairy cow and goat programs with "grants, awards, and opportunities to... Read More
The Canadian government was quick to announce $16.6 billion in retaliatory tariffs after U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross confirmed that Canada, Mexico, and the EU will lose their exemptions to 25 percent and 10 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum, as of June 1. The escalation comes as NAFTA negotiations appear to have stalled. Prime... Read More
What started as a fascination with craft distilling and a chance discussion about dumping skim milk has evolved into a tasty new business at Almonte, Ontario. Neal McCarten is director of operations for Dairy Distillery, and it was his family's farm background that led to a discussion with Omid McDonald, founder and CEO, about how... Read More
Semex, a Canadian-based, farmer-owned cattle genetics company, and Recombinetics, a gene-editing company, have formed an alliance to bring hornless dairy cattle genetics forward through the use of TALENs technology. TALENs involves very precise gene editing that makes small adjustments to the genome of an animal to delete, repair, or replace individual elements of DNA. Because... Read More
USDA’s cattle on feed report, released on Friday, provided little drama as the numbers fell closely in line with expectations. Due to the Memorial Day long weekend in the US, the report was released mid day and the market closed slightly higher after the report was released. Total cattle on feed was estimated at 11.6... Read More
Alberta Beef Producers (ABP) and the Alberta Cattle Feeders' Association (ACFA) have announced they're aiming to hold a plebiscite this fall, with the goal of returning to a non-refundable provincial check-off. The two organizations announced a joint agreement "to strengthen our investment in the future of the beef industry" on Friday. They say they're looking... Read More
Montreal-based dairy giant Saputo has announced the purchase of Shepherd Gourmet Dairy, based at St. Marys, Ontario, for $100 million. Employing about 90 people, Shepherd Gourmet is known for its specialty cheeses, including feta, sheep's milk ricotta, and Skyr Icelandic-style yogurt. Saputo says the purchase enables the company's Canadian dairy division to increase its presence... Read More
Year-round grazing may mean different things to different people, but to Doug Wray, it essentially means providing 'locally grown' sustenance to his herd — that is, feeding where the forage was grown. Wray implements strategies like swath grazing and bale grazing to achieve his goals, driving the cost of winter feeding down to about $0.80/head/day... Read More