Grain movement hasn’t been as good this year compared to last year. However, grain company margins have been thin due to the slumping prices and they’ve been cautious about moving product.  |  File photo

Grain movement looks good but faces challenges

Lower crop prices slowed deliveries at the beginning of the 2023-24 year, while railways struggled with labour issues

SASKATOON — Grain movement has been on track this crop year despite some challenges, but it hasn’t been as good as last year, according to Canada’s grain monitor. “There has been so much stuff that has happened this year that has confounded the movement,” said Quorum Corp. president Mark Hemmes. The first challenge was the […] Read more

Canada imported $10.2 million worth of beef from Jan. 1 until the end of April. As for Canadian beef exports to Britain, Canada has not shipped any beef to the U.K. this year. | File photo

Beef imports from Britain jump 177 percent

Canada exports zero beef to the U.K.

WINNIPEG — Beef imports from the United Kingdom are up 177 percent in the first four months of 2024. Canada imported $10.2 million worth of beef from Jan. 1 until the end of April. That’s a significant increase from the same period in 2023, when beef imports from Britain were $3.7 million. If the pace […] Read more

Chief marshal Rob Cameron told the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association that the provincial government determines priorities for the SMS. It will collaborate with existing police services to address those. | Government of Saskatchewan photo

Sask. marshals service plans to emphasize rural presence

SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. — The head of the Saskatchewan Marshals Service says agricultural crime will be a focus for the new force. Chief marshal Rob Cameron told the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association that the provincial government determines priorities for the SMS. It will collaborate with existing police services to address those. “One of the things […] Read more


Cattle graze on corn residue.  |  Rachel Carey photo

High moisture corn shows promise

A study from the University of Saskatchewan finds that lower heat unit corn could displace some barley in feed rations

Glacier FarmMedia – A University of Saskatchewan study has found encouraging results from feeding high moisture corn to finishing cattle. It also identified corn “snaplage” as a potential fill-in for barley grain and silage diets. The project saw researchers replace a portion of barley with high moisture corn (HMC) in finishing diets. The latter revealed […] Read more

Cows are the main source of grinding beef in North American, but supply is low as the domestic herd shrinks, opening the door for imports.  |  File photo

Brazil expected to be bigger meat competitor

Country’s cost of production is the lowest in the world for a number of commodities, making it increasingly competitive

The U.S. cow herd is at 30-year lows, but Americans are still in love with burgers, so imports from outside North America will be a fact of life, analysts said at the World Pork Expo. That means Brazilian beef will likely reach into the U.S. burger supply chain. “How much of that grinding beef can […] Read more


Canfax report

This cattle market information is selected from the weekly report from Canfax, a division of the Canadian Cattle Association. More market information, analysis and statistics are available by becoming a Canfax subscriber by calling 403-275-5110 or at www.canfax.ca. Fed trade softens Alberta fed steers and heifers have traded softer for three consecutive weeks. Last week, […] Read more

One tablespoon of Bovaer per lactating dairy cow a day can reduce methane emissions by about 30 percent, or about 1.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions annually, the company said. | File photo

U.S. clears methane additive

REUTERS — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared Elanco Animal Health’s methane-reducing feed ingredient for lactating dairy cows. One tablespoon of Bovaer per lactating dairy cow a day can reduce methane emissions by about 30 percent, or about 1.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions annually, the company said. Bovaer works by suppressing […] Read more

The comment period recently closed for the standards proposed by the Canadian Sustainability Standards Board (CSSB), and Tammy Nemeth, an environmental, social and governance analyst based in the United Kingdom, said producers should be worried. | File photo

Proposed sustainability rules worry producers

SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. — Saskatchewan cattle producers continue to be concerned about how imposed sustainability disclosure standards could affect their business. These are climate-related disclosures that investors, lenders and others use to assess sustainability performance and are part of an international effort. Currently, companies can voluntarily disclose such information, but there is a movement to […] Read more


A new documentary produced by an international agricultural company tackles the criticism that animal agriculture faces.  |  File photo

VIDEO: Alltech documentary takes on anti-cow memes

Attacks on dairy industry in a Super bowl ad prompt agricultural company to take steps to help set the record straight

This is part one of a series of stories that reporter Ed White will file this summer about the different approaches that can be taken when advocating for agriculture. DES MOINES, Iowa — Three years ago, Mark Lyons was watching the Super Bowl when he saw a TV advertisement that trashed dairy milk. He was […] Read more

Lab tests helped veterinarians identify the bacteria Yersinia pseudotuberculosis as the cause of unusual cases of diarrhea and death in cattle, including in cows and calves on pasture.  |  File photo

Lab testing discovers cause of unusual cattle diarrhea

I’ve talked to two different veterinarians this year who had each dealt with unusual cases of diarrhea and death in cattle. In one case, the affected cows and calves were on pasture in the fall and the other case involved Holstein-cross calves shortly after arrival in the feedlot. In both situations, affected animals initially presented […] Read more