Photo: Canada Beef

Klassen: Feeder market eyes deferred live cattle futures

Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending September 13, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were relatively unchanged compared to seven days earlier. The April 2026 live cattle futures ended the week at $233, down $10 from the contract highs. Nearby feedlot margins remain favorable; however, profitability in the deferred positions has evaporated given the weakness in the deferred […] Read more

Cattle at a feedlot near North Platte, Nebraska. (AndrewLinscott/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures rally, hogs rise

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago cattle futures rallied on Monday following losses in the previous trading session. Hogs also rose. Most-active December live cattle contracts closed at 236.275 cents a pound, up 4.350 cents. October live cattle settled at 234.600 cents a pound, up 4.625 cents. Most-traded October feeder cattle futures settled at 354.500 cents a pound, up 8.700 […] Read more


Cattle at a feedlot near North Platte, Nebraska. (AndrewLinscott/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures fall on expectations of US agriculture secretary announcement

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures fell on investor expectations that U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins might announce a re-opening of the border with Mexico for cattle imports in a speech in Oklahoma on Friday. The U.S. is currently closed to cattle imports from Mexico because of an infestation south of the […] Read more

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U.S. livestock: Cattle futures bounce on short covering

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures ticked higher on Thursday on a short-covering bounce, though a weaker cash market and concerns around consumer demand for beef continued to weigh on the market. Cattle futures also benefited from rising grains futures, which steadied ahead of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s monthly supply and […] Read more


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U.S. livestock: Cattle make gains, hogs mixed

Reading Time: < 1 minute Most Chicago cattle futures rose on Wednesday after Tuesday’s hard fall. Hogs settled on either side of unchanged. Most-active October live cattle futures closed at 231.150 cents per pound, up 0.975 cents. December contracts settled at 232.675 cents a pound, up 1.500 cents. Nearby feeder cattle futures rose, while deferred contracts lost steam. Most-traded October […] Read more

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U.S. livestock: Cattle drop sharply, hogs mixed

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago cattle futures fell on Tuesday on a hefty technical correction. “I think that’s what we’re seeing now. A correction,” wrote analyst Jefferson Fosse with Walsh Trading. Most-active October live cattle contracts closed at 230.175 cents a pound, down 5.625 cents. December contracts closed down 6.400 cents to 231.175 cents per pound. The market has […] Read more


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Klassen: Feeder market consolidates at historical highs

Reading Time: 2 minutes For the week ending September 6, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were relatively unchanged compared to seven days earlier. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis at $525/cwt, up $15/cwt from a week earlier. Using a 60 per cent grading, this equates to a live price of $315/cwt. Current breakeven pen closeout […] Read more

cows graze in a pasture of grass in Manitoba

How to take charge of animal health on your farm

Summer Series: Keep these eight strategies in mind to manage and prevent animal health issues on the farm

Reading Time: 4 minutes Balancing animal health with farm profitability can be challenging.  Adopting a proactive approach to animal care is one of the most effective ways to minimize veterinary costs. “Establishing animal health protocols and early intervention as a regular practice on your farm can not only enhance the health and well-being of livestock, but can help farmers […] Read more


Photo: Canada Beef

U.S. livestock: Cattle markets mostly higher

Reading Time: < 1 minute Cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange were mostly higher on Monday, although the nearby October live cattle contract settled with small losses at the final bell. The October live cattle contract lost 0.175 cents per pound at 235.800 cents while the December contract was up 0.125 cents at 237.575 cents. October feeder cattle futures […] Read more

A University of Saskatchewan grad student has been researching how to use ergot-affected grain for feedlot cattle.  Photo: File

U.S. livestock: Profit-taking pressures cattle futures

Reading Time: < 1 minute Cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange were weaker on Friday, with chart-based positioning a feature as the market continued to back away from nearby record highs. The United States Department of Agriculture reported weekly U.S. beef export sales of 16,600 tonnes, which was up 22 per cent on the week and 51 per cent […] Read more