(Valerie Loiseleux/iStock/Getty Images)

‘Time is ticking’ on drought response for beef cattle sector

'We need answers like yesterday'

As Canada’s beef farmers and ranchers face drought, industry leaders are trying to find ways to secure feed and help those forced to sell rebuild their herds. B.C. ranchers are dealing with high temperatures that have “parched the grass that was there,” Kevin Boone, general manager of B.C. Cattlemen’s Association, said during a Canadian Cattlemen’s […] Read more

EastGen announces virtual event for beef and dairy youth

EastGen has created the EastGen Youth Ag-Stravaganza for beef and dairy youth in Ontario and the Maritimes. The event replaces the four traditional youth events EastGen normally has each summer that cannot be safely held this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.  The virtual event for beef and dairy 4-Hers is slated to be held July […] Read more

Farmers who are far from processing facilities struggle to manage cattle ready for processing with an injury. Mobile processing would help.

Ontario beef farmers look for abattoir solutions

Mobile abattoirs could help with timely processing across the province

Access and funding for abattoirs, capacity increases and risk management program changes topped the want list of Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) members during its recent annual meeting. Why it matters: Lack of access to capacity and abattoirs within reasonable distance has plagued the industry for years, but COVID-19 has highlighted the need for better […] Read more

Strip steak with mushrooms. (Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Beef trade gap seen growing as U.K. pact clears Parliament

Interim post-Brexit trade deal gets royal assent

Canada’s beef cattle producers are warning of a growing beef trade deficit, not only between Canada and the European Union but between Canada and the United Kingdom, as a new stopgap U.K. trade pact nears its launch. International Trade Minister Mary Ng on Friday announced Canada is ratifying the Canada-U.K. Trade Continuity Agreement (TCA), after […] Read more

The ZELP device captures large methane emissions from cows and turns them into carbon dioxide.

European innovations aim to capture waste from cows

There’s a lot of research on feed additives to reduce methane output, but collection devices are starting to show up

European inventors are coming up with what might seem outlandish ways to manage emissions from cattle — collecting the emissions and excretions from both ends. In late 2020, the United Kingdom-based Zero Emissions Livestock Project (ZELP) announced its efforts to equip cattle with halters harbouring a methane-converting fan and filter system. Why it matters: Consumer […] Read more


Nelson Fagan Jr. greets 10 Charolais cows at his ranch near Conception Bay South in October. (N. Fagan Meats video screengrab via Facebook)

Newfoundland beef producers backed to develop abattoirs

Three proposals get six figures each; breeding cows also provided

A provincial call for proposals to boost beef slaughter capacity in Newfoundland and Labrador has yielded three successful applicants. The provincial government on Nov. 5 announced its Beef Industry Enhancement Initiative will provide just over $1.8 million in total to its three successful proposals: $719,750 for Troy Humber of Northern Arm, about 40 km northeast […] Read more

What can we expect Ontario's livestock sector to look like in a post-COVID world?

Comment: Are livestock industries prepared for life after COVID?

Labour, consumer trends, accountability and cross-sector co-operation have to be managed

Are we there yet? Every parent has heard that phrase coming from the backseat. Now, as adults, we are asking that question relative to the pandemic. The end date is unknown, but what can we expect the Ontario livestock sector to look like post-COVID? I heard once that “life can only be understood backward; but […] Read more



A tract of Amazon jungle burns as it is cleared by farmers at Rio Pardo in Brazil’s Rondonia state on Sept. 15, 2019. (File photo: Reuters/Ricardo Moraes)

JBS vows to monitor whole cattle supply chain’s impact on Amazon

Packer plans to move against cattle 'laundering'

Sao Paulo | Reuters — JBS SA, the world’s top meatpacker, said Wednesday it plans to combat destruction in the Amazon by monitoring its entire supply chain for deforestation by 2025, as pressure mounts from environmentalists and investors. Brazilian meatpackers are facing increasing criticism that beef production is fueling deforestation in the Amazon, where cleared […] Read more

(File photo by Allan Dawson)

Beef sector aims for new 2030 targets

Organizations involved in Canada's National Beef Strategy have announced new goals for the beef sector for the next decade

The Canadian beef industry has new benchmarks to reach for in the next decade. The organizations involved in Canada’s National Beef Strategy — the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, Canada Beef Breeds Council, Beef Cattle Research Council, Canada Beef, The National Cattle Feeders’ Association, Canadian Meat Council and Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef have announced new 2030 […] Read more