CME October 2023 live cattle with 20- and 50-day moving averages and August 2023 live cattle (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle firm, hogs mixed

Cattle supply outlook overrides demand concerns

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures firmed on Thursday, buoyed by a round of technical support as the market remained near last week’s highs. Feeder cattle contracts also posted gains, while lean hog futures were mixed Traders said that tight supplies underpinned cattle futures prices despite demand concerns. CME August live […] Read more

CME October 2023 live cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle up on U.S. supply worries

CME lean hog futures sag

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures strengthened on Wednesday as tight U.S. supplies continued to support the market, analysts said. Feeder cattle futures also advanced, while lean hog futures declined. The live cattle market is largely trading sideways in the most-active contract this week after finishing with strong gains on Friday, […] Read more


CME October 2023 live cattle with 20-, 30- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle steady to weak

Hogs mixed with demand in focus

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures were steady to weak, while hog futures were mixed on Tuesday, with the market pressured by demand concerns as the end of grilling season nears, traders said. August live cattle futures ended unchanged at 179.7 cents/lb. (all figures US$). Most-active October live cattle fell 0.525 cent, […] Read more

Photo: ARS/USDA

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs decline; cattle inches higher

Reading Time: 1 minute Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell on Thursday, pressured by declining demand and expectations of greater supplies of market-ready hogs heading into the fall, analysts said. “You had a cutout that took a big step back yesterday. You had export numbers that weren’t especially supportive this morning, and the fact […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: U.S. feeder markets lead Canadian prices higher

Dry conditions in Saskatchewan and parts of Alberta are moving yearlings off grass sooner than expected

Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, Western Canadian yearling markets once again jumped $3-$5/cwt on average. Higher quality 900-pound steers are reaching up to the range of $310-$315/cwt. Comments from readers suggest that 850-900-pound steers are trading up to $315-$320/cwt. Calves in the 500-550-pound range are reaching just over the $400/cwt level. Dryer conditions in Saskatchewan and […] Read more

Photo: Canada Beef Inc.

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures mixed; feeders boosted as corn slumps

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Feeder cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group (CME) ticked up again on Thursday, bolstered by continued weakness in corn futures Cv1, while live cattle futures were mixed on somewhat sluggish cash sales, analysts said. The U.S. Agriculture Department said on Thursday morning that export sales of beef rose to 21,400 […] Read more


Photo: Canada Beef

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures extend profit-taking slide

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group fell on Tuesday for a fourth session on profit-taking after last week’s contract highs, and a month-long slide in wholesale beef prices that erased meat packers’ profit margins, analysts said. CME August live cattle futures LCQ3 settled Tuesday down 0.450 cent at 178.300 cents […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: tight supplies continue to underpin feeder complex 

Feedlot operators shrug off past week's rally in the corn market

Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, Western Canadian yearling markets traded $2-$5/cwt higher on average while calves were up $5/cwt to as much as $10/cwt in some cases. Feather light calves under 500 pounds reached fresh historical highs with 300-400 pound steers trading from $400-$450/cwt in Southern Alberta.  Finishing feedlots continue to be aggressive on yearlings for […] Read more


Katlin Lang is co-founder of FarmSimple Solutions, a company that provides a water trough sensor for remote watering system.
 Photo: John Greig

At Ag in Motion: Water trough monitoring made easier

Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Imagine being able to run to the lake without worrying about water trough levels for grazing cattle. That’s the scenario that drove Katlin and his brother Dustin Lang, of Vibank, Sask., to found a company to provide a water trough monitoring system. Designed for troughs that are connected to solar systems out […] Read more

Photo: Canada Beef Inc.

Klassen: Feeder market continues climb

Futures spur larger feedlots to lock in ownership

Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, quality yearling packages traded $6-$10/cwt higher. In some cases, prices were up as much as $12/cwt. Calf markets were relatively unchanged although the market was hard to defined due to limited volumes. Pastures are drying up in Saskatchewan and certain area of eastern Alberta. Yearlings from these regions are coming on […] Read more