Livestock Management
Pfizer’s acquisition of Wyeth should have no impact on Canadian producers of pregnant mare’s urine, said a spokesperson for the PMU industry. “We’re not looking for any drastic changes. If fact we’re excited about it,” said Norm Luba, executive director of the North American Equine Ranching Information Council, an organization that represents 64 PMU producers […] Read more
Livestock Management
Business as usual for PMU industry: Pfizer
Small cow less costly, better milk producer
AIRDRIE, Alta. – Size matters when it comes to efficient cows. A smaller cow is often more productive because it eats less than its larger herd mates and is likely to wean a good- sized calf, said Cargill beef consultant Bryan McMurry. “Fat cows may be pretty, but they don’t put any of that energy […] Read more
Bayer cracks canola code
Bayer CropScience has cracked canola’s genetic code, which means growers will get their hands on new varieties faster. “It will allow us to accelerate all of our trait development,” said Stewart Brandt, Bayer’s manager for canola breeding operations in North America. The German crop science company announced Oct. 9 that it had sequenced the canola […] Read more
Western Producer Livestock Report – for Oct. 22, 2009
U.S. cash hogs steady Cash hog prices in the United States were stable last week, but the futures rally continued, giving Chicago a large premium over the cash market. After a large slaughter two weeks ago, the U.S. sow kill dropped below last year’s level. Except for the Labour Day weekend, it was the smallest […] Read more
Rail panel to travel
The federal government’s rail freight service review panel will travel across the country to consult with stakeholders, including farm and grain industry groups in Western Canada. Panel chair Walter Paszkowski said it’s important to meet directly with shippers and others affected by rail service and hear their concerns. “We will be travelling to acquaint ourselves […] Read more
Rapeseed code cracked
FRANKFURT, Germany (Reuters) – Bayer, the world’s largest supplier of genetically modified canola, has mapped out the entire genetic code of the oilseed plant in a bid to speed development of new varieties. “This will allow us to speed up our current research and breeding programs,” the head of Bayer’s oilseed research program, Bart Lambert, […] Read more
Canfax Report – for Oct. 15, 2009
This cattle market information is selected from the weekly report from Canfax, a division of the Canadian Cattlemen’s 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 cattle prices fall Packers comfortable with inventories are slowing their kill to match weak beef demand. […] Read more
Western Producer Livestock Report – for Oct. 15, 2009
Hog futures bounce U.S. cash hog prices were mostly stable last week, ignoring the rally in futures. Investment fund buying propelled the stronger futures market. Analysts said there were hints that the market has hit bottom. Cheap pork prices and the weak U.S. dollar should spur demand. After two weeks of disappointing U.S. sow slaughter, […] Read more
Ag critic Easter pans government loan program
The federal loan program for sinking hog farmers is a scam that helps the federal government before it helps pig farmers, says Liberal agriculture critic Wayne Easter. During debate Oct. 6 on legislation to implement government deficit stimulus spending, rural Ontario Conservative Ben Lobb, who took the last Ontario agriculture-dominated seat from the Liberals in […] Read more
Affordable feed tough to find
During the next six weeks, Allan Groeneveld plans to continue his search for about 1,700 round bales of hay for his cattle. If he finds reasonably priced hay, he’ll keep most of his 300 cows. If he can’t, he’ll sell most of his herd. “It has to pencil out,” said Groeneveld, who raises cattle near […] Read more
