A custom hauler spreads dairy manure on hay ground using a Husky 18000L Slimline liquid manure spreader on a farm at Wallenstein, Ont., north of Kitchener, in the spring of 2018. (Husky Farm Equipment handout photo via Reuters)

No poop for you: Manure supplies run short as fertilizer prices soar

Ontario honeywagon maker all sold out

Reading Time: 5 minutes Chicago | Reuters — For nearly two decades, Abe Sandquist has used every marketing tool he can think of to sell the back end of a cow. Poop, after all, needs to go somewhere. The Midwestern entrepreneur has worked hard to woo farmers on its benefits for their crops. Now, facing a global shortage of […] Read more

CME June 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle rise on weaker feed values

Lean hog futures slip

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures firmed on Friday as nearby grain futures slumped, even as the cash trade continued to be disappointing and investors kept a close eye on diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, traders said. CME cattle futures were also supported as retail demand for beef perked […] Read more


CME June 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs, feeder cattle slide

Technical trading, higher grain values drag on futures

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs and feeder cattle futures fell on Thursday on a flurry of technical trading, as feed prices rebounded and investors scrambled to find stable footing amid continued volatility in commodity markets. Live cattle inched up, while cash cattle saw limited action in the southern Plains, with some […] Read more

CBOT May 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (green line), MGEX May 2022 spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. May 2022 hard red wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat futures limit down as USDA cuts exports

Corn pressured by oil prices, soybeans pare gains

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures hit their daily trading limit on the downside for the second straight day on Wednesday, as the U.S. government cut domestic wheat exports and global markets continue to be roiled by supply disruptions stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Soybean futures turned lower after the U.S. Department of […] Read more


CME March 2022 feeder cattle (candlesticks, right column) with April 2022 feeder cattle (red line, right column) and April 2022 live cattle (black line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle firm, live cattle ease as grain markets roiled

Hog futures up on supply concerns

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle futures rose on Wednesday, and live cattle futures prices slipped for another session, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continued to send agricultural commodity markets into a tailspin, traders said. But a whipsaw in prices for grains used for livestock feed weighed on the day’s livestock complex, […] Read more

CBOT March 2022 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, dark green and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans surge on weather concerns

CBOT wheat rises after slide

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures surged on Friday, reaching highs not seen since last summer, as the market anticipated drought losses in South America that could curb global export supplies. Wheat rose after a two-day slide, attracting bargain-buying and traders hunting for short-covering, as investors closely monitor a standoff between Russia and the […] Read more


CME April 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures up with daily slaughter levels

Hogs up on technical buying, cash prices

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures firmed on Friday as daily processing levels began to rebound, a sign that COVID-related staffing woes may be easing, traders said. Meatpackers have struggled with staffing shortages due to the surge in Omicron coronavirus infections, traders said, limiting production in recent weeks. Beef processors slaughtered an […] Read more

Photo: File

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures drop on profit-taking; lean hogs fall

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell on Thursday on profit-taking after a previous session rally resulted in several contracts hitting new highs, traders said. CME February live cattle settled down 0.750 cent at 139.975 cents per pound. Feeder cattle futures, which were supported by a slump in Chicago corn futures, […] Read more


Photo: Getty Images

U.S. grains: Soybean, corn futures slide as Brazilian harvest begins

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago soybean futures fell sharply on Thursday, as the harvest of a near-record crop started in top grain exporter Brazil and more rain fell in dry stretches of Parana than expected, traders said. Corn futures dropped for a second session on some profit-taking, even with news of better-than-expected export demand. Wheat […] Read more

Photo: Canada Beef Inc.

U.S. livestock: CME livestock futures rise on supply concerns

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange livestock futures climbed on Wednesday, as cash cattle prices firmed on concerns around meat supplies to meet anticipated demand going into next year, traders said. Cattle futures ended higher, as beef carcass cutout prices continued to firm and cash cattle traded higher, traders said. Cash cattle traded at […] Read more