U.S. livestock: Cattle rally, hogs rise

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Published: February 2, 2026

,

Photo: Greg Berg

Chicago cattle rallied on Monday. Lean hogs also rose.

Most-active April live cattle futures closed at 239.525 cents a pound, up 2.725 cents. June live cattle gained 2.525 cents to settle at 234.250 cents a pound.

Most-traded March feeder cattle contracts closed at 366.350 cents a pound, up 6.075 cents. April feeders gained 5.900 cents to settle at 364.175 cents per pound.

Read Also

Photo: File

Pulse Weekly: War, weather affecting Manitoba pulse prospects

Manitoba pulses could be affected by the ongoing war in Iran as well as spring weather, said the former executive director of Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers.

Choice boxed beef value rose by $2.65 to end the afternoon at $368.21 per cwt, the USDA reported. Select beef was valued at $364.91 per cwt, up $2.97.

The U.S. cattle herd dwindled to its smallest size since 1951, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Friday.

The nation had a total of 86.2 million cattle and calves as of January 1, the USDA said in a biannual report, after a persistent drought drove ranchers to slash their herds. That was down 0.4 per cent from a year earlier, when the herd also hit its lowest level since 1951.

April lean hog futures closed at 96.625 cents a pound, up 1.475 cents. February lean hogs gained 0.500 cents to settle at 87.850 cents a pound.

Pork carcass cutout value sat at $95.70 per cwt, up $1.48.

-With files from Reuters

About The Author

Geralyn Wichers

Geralyn Wichers

Digital editor, news and national affairs

Geralyn graduated from Red River College's Creative Communications program in 2019 and launched directly into agricultural journalism with the Manitoba Co-operator. Her enterprising, colourful reporting has earned awards such as the Dick Beamish award for current affairs feature writing and a Canadian Online Publishing Award, and in 2023 she represented Canada in the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists' Alltech Young Leaders Program. Geralyn is a co-host of the Armchair Anabaptist podcast, cat lover, and thrift store connoisseur.

explore

Stories from our other publications