Photo: Geralyn Wichers

U.S. livestock: Hog futures hit contract highs on shock herd decline

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Lean hog futures stormed to contract highs at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Friday as smaller-than-expected U.S. inventory numbers stoked concerns about supplies, analysts said. The nation’s inventory on September 1 was 74.5 million head, down 1.3 per cent from a year earlier, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a […] Read more



Photo: Canada Beef

U.S. livestock: Hog futures hit contract high, herd falls short of estimates

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures set a contract high on Thursday as strong cash prices supported the market, analysts said. After the trading session ended, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a quarterly report the nation’s inventory of hogs and pigs on September 1 was 74.5 million head, down […] Read more



Photo: Geralyn Wichers

U.S. livestock: Live cattle drop as beef prices, packer margins erode

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures fell on Wednesday on long liquidation by funds and as sinking beef prices and eroding packer margins weighed on the market. Feeder cattle futures also retreated in a technical correction after four consecutive sessions of gains that were fueled by concerns over tightening U.S. supplies. “We […] Read more


Photo: Geralyn Wichers

U.S. livestock: Hogs rally ahead of USDA report

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago lean hog futures rallied on Tuesday ahead of the USDA’s Hogs and Pigs report, due on Thursday. “The report may show a slight increase in total hog population, but analysts are speculating over what other stats may show and mean for futures prices,” the Wall Street Journal reported. The question is if producers expanded […] Read more

Photo: Geralyn Wichers

Klassen: Feeder market slips off record highs

Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending September 20, Western Canadian feeder markets traded steady to $5/cwt lower compared to seven days earlier. There were pockets where quality calf packages traded $10-$15/cwt below prices from the prior week. The October feeder cattle futures have been trading at $15/cwt premium to the deferred March 2026 contract. This inverse in […] Read more


Photo: Canada Beef

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures higher on screwworm news

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher on Monday after news that New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, was detected 70 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, analysts said. Analysts believed the news would mean the U.S.-Mexico border will be closed to feeder cattle imports for the foreseeable future. “It’s bullish […] Read more