GUELPH, Ont. – Fed cattle supplies remain tight, keeping feeder and fed prices higher than average. Canadian markets for fed cattle have remained stronger than expected throughout the spring and much stronger than normal relative to American prices. Factors keeping the prices strong are poor use of domestic packer capacity, strong domestic demand for Canadian […] Read more
Stories by Michael Raine
Sask. lawyer buys Morris Industries
Saskatoon lawyer and accountant Casey Davis has bought Saskatchewan-based farm equipment manufacturer Morris Industries. Owner Wendy Morris sold the 78-year-old, family-owned equipment maker effective June 7. Davis said despite tough times in prairie agriculture over the past two decades, he feels optimistic about the potential of his newly acquired business. Morris Industries Ltd. includes two […] Read more
Tender heifers focus of study
In the beef business in which tenderness sells, heifers aren’t as tender as steers, but Colorado researchers feel there are ways to manage the problem. More than 30 percent of slaughter cattle are heifers, but they tend to produce less tender meat and a greater percentage of dark cutters at the packing plant than males. […] Read more
Good beef, tender steak
Studies over the years have shown that consumers evaluate their beef consuming experiences based on tenderness, flavour and juiciness. The Warner-Bratzler shear test is one of the most objective ways to measure tenderness. The system mimics the force needed for human teeth to cut livestock muscle tissue. Fat and fluids in the tissue make it […] Read more
Disease researchers tackle slimy subject
Is slime holding your crops back, leaving them with toxic residue? Does it make your cattle harder to treat for disease? The answer is yes, but Calgary researchers are working on solutions. Many plant and animal diseases depend on slimy coatings to protect them from the environment and human intervention. Slime, or biofilm as scientists […] Read more
New crop lines boast dual tolerance
Crops tolerant to a new glyphosate product will have an advantage in also tolerating an ALS herbicide. Dupont plans to release corn, soybean and canola lines of the latest genetics from Pioneer Hi-Bred and Syngenta over the next few years that contain tolerance to both glyphosate and sulfonylurea, an amino acid synthesis inhibitor or ALS. […] Read more
Community pasture patrons to change
Who will patronize Saskatchewan public pastures of the future? Murray Jelinski says he’s not sure, but he knows it won’t be the same ones who now keep an average of 28 cows in the pastures. “The demographics of North American farmers and business trends tell us that the user of today’s pastures won’t be around […] Read more
Weather ideal for return of anthrax
If cattle die suddenly this summer, anthrax may be the culprit. The disease is expected again in Saskatchewan this year because the weather conditions that support it will also be back. Anthrax killed a record number of cattle in the province last year and was also found in Manitoba and in an isolated case in […] Read more
Sulfur in distillers grains may cause polio in cattle
Beef cattle fed high concentrations of distillers grains could face a higher risk of polio, say American livestock feed specialists. Distillers grains are the majority of what’s left after producing ethanol and their feed value and low cost can help profitability in the cattle business. But feeding this high protein product is new to most […] Read more
Calf prices? Check Iowa’s weather forecast
U.S. weather will be the biggest factor affecting Canadian calf prices this fall. Sandy Russell, a livestock economist with Saskatchewan Agriculture, told Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration employees attending a Saskatoon livestock conference last week that the current trend is for prices to continue improving slightly from the October price of $108.66 per hundredweight for 750 […] Read more
