Great gifts for livestock producers

Wondering what to buy for the person who has everything? Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s (AF) Publications Office has dozens of agriculture publications ranging from $3 to $30, including:

 

Alberta Forage Manual ($30 plus GST) Agdex 120/20-1 – this book contains extensive descriptions of forage species and their growth habits to help with planning forage management programs. This expanded second edition offers producers comprehensive information on a range of forage topics, including adaptation, legumes and grasses, annuals, mixtures, establishment, fertility, pasture management, harvesting and rejuvenation. In addition, sections on forage pest insects and diseases present detailed discussion of these problems in forage crops, helping producers diagnose damage. Fully illustrated with over 350 colour images, plus line drawings, tables, charts and graphs, this forage reference work provides a wealth of information.

 

Beef Cow-Calf Manual ($30 plus GST) Agdex 420-10 – this manual contains up-to-date information for cow-calf producers, including sections on genetics, economics, calf management, nutrition and feeding, animal health, pests, handling facilities and fencing and herd management. It also includes a listing of additional online resources. Numerous colour photos, drawings and tables provide great depth to the information found in the 300+ page manual.

 

Silage Manual ($15 plus GST) Agdex 120/52-2 – this book looks at how silage systems can help producers develop nutritious, cost-effective feed supplies. It examines all aspects of silage making to help balance costs against benefits and weigh advantages against disadvantages. Key topics include ensiling process, crops for silage, silage additives, harvesting, silos, silage quality, feeding value and cost of production.

 

Find a full list on AF’s Publications web page.

Video: Did Bears Win Thanksgiving, Will Bulls Get Christmas?

Did the bears win Thanksgiving (although this week had green on the screen), and will the bulls get Christmas? Bears won thanksgiving thanks to a USDA Nov crop report dud that stalled the bullish grain momentum for a brief period. But a bullish lower yield surprise in the Dec crop report could reignite the rally.
2026 U.S. winter wheat planting is nearly complete at 97% while crop conditions improved by 3 points to 48% good-to-excellent. US corn & soybean harvest is complete.
High corn demand, which is off the chart, and more Chinese soybean demand could support a Christmas rally.
Nasdaq had it’s worst November since 2011.
A U.S. Fed rate cut in December will help fund flow and sentiment.
Bitcoin held a long-term support at 80,000 and that's positive for fund flow and sentiment. It should help stock prices and Ag as we go into December.
Fertilizer prices continue to climb as we look ahead to 2026. Farmers may rely more on the nutrients that they already have in their soils.
South American Weather remains critical as the soybean reproductive stage starts from late Nov to late Feb depending on planting date.
Will a Russia-Ukraine peace deal happen by year-end?
CFTC data as of showed more managed money fund sell-off as of October 14th.