This is an unforgettable time in the cattle markets for ranchers and feedyards. The United States Department of Agriculture released its Cattle on Feed report for April 1, and the results are close to expectations and would be considered bullish in a "normal" market. In the United States, total cattle on feed is down 5... Read More
Category: Livestock
The value of beef cutouts has reached record highs over the last few days, as packing plant capacity has been reduced by shutdowns in the U.S. and Canada. At the same time, those shutdowns have put immense pressure on cash cattle prices. "In the U.S. for the cash cattle that are trading, they are going... Read More
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect comments from a JBS spokesperson. A JBS spokesperson has stated that the plant is not closed and is operating one shift. JBS did not indicate the amount of cattle that would be slaughtered per day. Alberta OH&S has announced an investigation following the death of employees... Read More
It has been a brutal month for the North American pork sector due to demand destruction, packing plant closures, and hog futures that have dropped by at least 30 per cent. With every plant shutdown, the inventory of market-ready hogs compounds, increasing the stress on the entire value chain. The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) released... Read More
While there is plenty of attention on the growing beef processing crisis in Western Canada, beef producers in Eastern Canada are also struggling with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) has published a video request of the federal government, which includes several voices from the beef industry's eastern producers... Read More
The Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA) has decided to postpone its 107th Annual General Meeting and Convention, originally set for June 7th to 9th at Assiniboia. The SSGA says a meeting at that time is not possible because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “As the response to COVID-19 continues to evolve, we’re hoping that life will... Read More
U.S. President Donald Trump has unveiled his three-step plan to re-open the economy, entitled "Opening up America Again." Along with the announcement, the president has started encouraging political allies to "liberate" certain states that have shelter-in-place (social distancing) measures currently in effect. There's no question, the economic impact of social distancing is very evident in... Read More
After a very difficult couple weeks at the Cargill beef processing facility at High River, Alta., due to an increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases and one death, the Minneapolis-based company has decided to idle the plant until the company and employees can adapt to operating during a pandemic. In a statement to RealAgriculture, Jon... Read More
Chicken Farmers of Canada's board of directors has adjusted the May to July chicken allocation by 12.6 per cent nationally, to reduce production in an effort to address lower demand for chicken from restaurants and food service providers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decrease in production will be highest in Ontario, Quebec,... Read More
Editors Note: Given the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, this information will continue to be updated. Last update: April 21, 2020, 2:00PM MST. There have been 360 cases of COVID-19 linked to Cargill's beef packing plant at High River, Alberta, as of Tuesday afternoon. Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw shared... Read More