Herd bulls can be forgotten at times but attention turns to them just before the breeding season. Bulls can be hard to handle, but there are good facilities for examining and treating them. Bulls should be vaccinated for most things you give to cows, with the exception of scours vaccines. Deworming and lice control should always be considered, since bulls get the highest load of flies in summer. When handling bulls, get the best bang for your effort. Do as many procedures at once as you can, that your veterinarian recommends. Have the bulls semen tested to remove infertile ones and identify ma ..read more

An independent agency is needed to coordinate temporary and migrant labour policy, says a Senate committee report released today. The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology offers six recommendations to the federal government in its Act Now: Solutions for Temporary and Migrant Labour in Canada report. The committee set out to study issues faced by both workers and employers in November 2022. Why it matters: Finding farm labour is a challenge and so temporary foreign workers have become an important part of doing farm work, from horticulture to the dairy and swine s ..read more

For the week ending May 18, western Canadian yearling markets were trading $3 to $5 higher compared to seven days earlier. Calf prices were relatively unchanged compared to the prior week. The feeder market appears to be consolidating near historical highs. Pen conditions in Alberta are rated poor to very poor and many feedlot operators backed away from the market last week. However, buying interest for grass cattle was stronger than expected and this demand lifted the overall feeder complex. Even packages of 800 pound plus cattle that typically move into a feedlot were purchased for grass pur ..read more

Lone Star Texas Grill is partnering with Ontario beef farmers to bring locally produced Ontario Corn Fed Beef to its 23 locations across the province. The Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) said in a release the partnership has a significant impact on the Ontario cattle and beef sector. “First off, it demonstrates the confidence the market has in high quality Ontario beef. That confidence continues to drive demand for Ontario cattle, which benefits many agriculture sectors in the province including, but not limited to, cattle farmers, crop farmers, vet services and feed mill/animal nutritionists an ..read more

The federal government has earmarked more than $9.6 million to help the Canadian pork sector prevent and prepare for African swine fever (ASF). Francis Drouin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, said in a release 29 African Swine Fever Industry Preparedness Program (ASFIPP) projects across the country will receive funding. Provincial projects include improving biosecurity measures, wild pig management activities, retrofits of existing abattoirs, regional preparation for the welfare depopulation and disposal of healthy hogs, and sector analysis, engagement and ..read more

The federal government has earmarked more than $9.6 million to help the Canadian pork sector prevent and prepare for African swine fever (ASF). Francis Drouin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, said in a release 29 African Swine Fever Industry Preparedness Program (ASFIPP) projects across the country will receive funding. Provincial projects include improving biosecurity measures, wild pig management activities, retrofits of existing abattoirs, regional preparation for the welfare depopulation and disposal of healthy hogs, and sector analysis, engagement and ..read more

Metro Ontario has achieved its 2022 sourcing commitment to buy three million pounds of beef from Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) Certified farms and ranches by 2026, ahead of schedule. The grocer said in a release that from now on, the CRSB Certified Mass Balance mark will be displayed on all beef products across its Platinum Grill Angus Canadian AAA Beef Program, available in all 131 Metro stores in Ontario. The CRSB Certified program provides credible assurances for the production, processing and sourcing of beef through certified supply chains in Canada. This means verifying ..read more

Chicago | Reuters—Tyson Foods cannot predict exactly when U.S. ranchers will start rebuilding the cattle herd in a meaningful way, CEO Donnie King said on Wednesday, as tight supplies squeeze the meatpacker’s beef business. Producers slashed the herd to its lowest level in decades due to high feed costs and drought in the western United States, increasing the prices Tyson must pay to buy livestock for processing. Lower costs for grains fed to cattle and improved conditions for grazing are encouraging factors for increasing the U.S. herd, though high interest rates are a headwind, King said at ..read more

It’s so far, so good when it comes to Canada’s milk testing efforts against bird flu as all samples have tested negative thus far. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed May 14 it had tested 142 retail milk samples from across the country to date. All tested negative for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) fragments, and there was no evidence of disease in dairy cattle detected in the milk. The testing is in response to a U.S. outbreak of HPAI in dairy herds, which have occurred in nine states to date. Fragments of HPAI have been detected in one in five samples of commercial ..read more

Compared to last week, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were steady to $5 lower on average. It’s that time of year when available supplies start to decline. At the same time, demand is limited. Most backgrounding operators have sufficient numbers and demand for grassers is waning. Ontario interest was noted in Manitoba and Eastern Saskatchewan, which appeared to sustain prices near last week’s levels. Southern Alberta has received over 200 per cent of normal precipitation over the past 30 days, and pen conditions are rated poor to very poor. Markets in Alberta and Saskatchewan were sligh ..read more