Livestock Management
(Prices reflect settlements at 1:03 p.m. CST) CHICAGO, March 14 (Reuters) – Most Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts gained modestly on Monday, after investors sold April and simultaneously bought deferred months in a strategy known as bear spreading, traders said. April ended 0.500 cents per lb lower at 139.300. June closed up 0.275 cent […] Read more
Livestock Management
LIVESTOCK-CME live cattle futures close mostly firm; hogs lower
LIVESTOCK-Cash price hope spikes CME live cattle to 4-month high
CHICAGO, March 11 (Reuters) – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures peaked at a four-month high on Friday, fueled by short-covering in anticipation of strong market-ready, or cash, cattle prices later on Friday, traders said. April ended 1.500 cents per lb higher at 139.800, and June closed up 0.925 cent per lb to 128.550. Cash […] Read more
Prices strong at Calgary Bull Sale
At the event, 102 Hereford bulls averaged $8,772 and four Angus bulls averaged $6,950; grand champion sold for $25,000
This year’s Calgary Bull Sale may have had fewer offerings than past years, but the March 2-3 event drew impressive prices and a large crowd. After 116 years at the Calgary Stampede grounds, the sale has moved to Century Downs, a newly opened casino and racetrack northeast of Calgary. The 102 Hereford bulls averaged $8,772 […] Read more
Ranchers worry about returning bison to Banff
The major concern is that Plains bison established in Banff National Park will get out of the park and spread disease to cattle
LETHBRIDGE — A plan to release bison into Banff National Park next year has beef producers worried the great beasts could roam further than the park gates. Thirty to 50 Plains bison from Elk Island National Park near Edmonton are moving to Banff, where they will be located on the northeast side of the Cascade […] Read moreResearchers seek genetic markers for liver abscesses
Liver abscesses are associated with episodes of rumen acidosis, which are usually caused by carbohydrate overload. Rumen acidosis damages the rumen wall and allows bacteria to pass into the bloodstream and enter the liver, where they can cause abscesses to form. It is commonly observed in feedlot cattle and dairy cattle that are fed high […] Read more
Achieve cream of the crop through crossbreeding
Combining the best qualities of cattle breeds can improve growth and carcass traits, but producers need to know tradeoffs
Crossbreeding is one of the best ways to improve a beef herd, but each producer must decide which traits are important and profitable. “Your success will depend on your ability to do the $500 an hour work versus the $5 an hour work,” said beef specialist Bob Weaber of Kansas State University. “It is based […] Read moreCattle genetics exporter welcomes new federal funding
Dave Bolduc knows the value of marketing. A partner in family owned Cudlobe Angus near Stavely, Alta., he has sold beef cattle genetics around the world and learned the importance of building relationships. His biggest coup was presenting the Queen Mother with a Cudlobe bull in the mid-1980s. Bolduc said a $2.58 million grant from […] Read more
Recognize symptoms, take action against diseases: expert
Thin ewe syndrome affects most flocks at one time or another, says sheep specialist Dr. Lynn Tait of OC Flock Management. The affliction is defined as a production-limiting disease that affects performance and profitability but is not necessarily acute. “They’re not always obvious, and chronic in nature,” Tait said during a Feb. 8 Alberta Lamb […] Read more
Beef’s upward trend seen slowing
RED DEER — The good times in the beef business have stalled. “We had a beautiful five year run in terms of our trends with in-creasing prices, but we have broken through that trend and we are definitely on a downward trending market,” said Brian Perrillat, senior market analyst with Canfax. Significant market volatility is […] Read more
Breeder pleased with herd of curvaceous, beefy girls
CORONATION, Alta. — Meagan Schwenk-Gattey doesn’t think of her cattle as livestock. To her, they’re “her girls.” As Schwenk-Gattey wanders through her 500-head herd or her 1,500-head feedlot, she can rattle off a cow’s breeding, point out its sister, look around to find its calves and know which cows produce calves with high weaning weights. […] Read more
