Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — CME Group plans to resume its listing schedule for live cattle futures and options contracts, effective Feb. 18, the exchange said in a statement Wednesday. CME said it will post the June 2017 live cattle futures and options contract that was originally scheduled to be listed on Jan. 4. The exchange […] Read more
New further-month live cattle futures, options to resume
Klassen: Feeder market experiences defensive tone
Reading Time: 2 minutes Feedlot operators continue to pull in the reins on replacement cattle purchases because another month-end budget for the bank does not look healthy. Alberta sales barns experienced a soft tone, with sales $4 to $6 below week-ago while eastern Prairie regions received spillover support from U.S. markets. Manitoba markets were notably $3 to $8 higher […] Read more
Georgia to accept Canadian breeding cattle, hogs
Reading Time: < 1 minute Canada may be able to move up to $2.5 million more in live breeding cattle and live breeding swine to the Black Sea region each year, with new market access to Georgia. The former Soviet country’s government will allow imports of Canadian breeding cattle and hogs effective immediately, Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Trade Minister […] Read more
U.S. cattle herd growth to five-year high spells cheaper beef ahead
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Beef prices will keep trending lower, analysts said after the government’s semi-annual cattle inventory report on Friday showed the U.S. cattle herd as of Jan. 1 grew three per cent from a year ago, to a five-year high. Healthy pastures, more-affordable grain and record-high cattle prices a year ago encouraged ranchers […] Read more
Online cattle auction aims to shake up U.S. market
Reading Time: 2 minutes San Diego | Reuters — A proposal for an online auction that could shake up the U.S. pricing model for cattle is set to make its public debut on Friday after a test run last week, with the support of a unit of the world’s largest meatpacker. Producers have worried for years that the country’s […] Read more
Klassen: Feeders still vulnerable in financial market turbulence
Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle prices experienced a defensive tone over the past week. Cattleman had their eyes glued to the equity market meltdown, which enhanced fears the fed cattle market would follow suit. Live cattle futures were on a roller coaster, and a late-week bounce in the Canadian dollar added to market uncertainty. Buyers were […] Read more
McDonald’s sales beat as all-day breakfast a hit
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — McDonald’s Corp. reported better-than-expected quarterly same-restaurant sales as the launch of all-day breakfasts proved to be a hit with diners in the U.S. and demand continued to recover in China. The world’s biggest restaurant chain’s shares jumped 3.4 per cent in premarket trading on Monday. McDonald’s introduced all-day breakfasts in October in the […] Read more
U.S. feedlot cattle count not as low as expected
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Cattle placed into U.S. feedlots in December slipped one per cent from a year earlier to their lowest level since 1998, based on a U.S. Department of Agriculture report Friday, but were slightly above average industry expectations. Feedlots finally purchased less-expensive calves, or feeder cattle, that had grown heavier on healthy […] Read more
Argentine government to allow beef imports
Reading Time: < 1 minute Buenos Aires | Reuters –– Argentina will allow beef imports if the recent opening of the export market results in a domestic shortage of steaks and burgers, farm minister Ricardo Buryaile told local radio Thursday. The country lifted restrictions on beef exports after President Mauricio Macri, elected in November on an open-markets platform, was inaugurated […] Read more
Klassen: Uncertainty causes feeder market volatility
Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle prices traded steady to as much as $10 lower compared to week-ago levels. Feedlot hands are contending with adverse winter conditions and cattle travelling farther distances were down $6 to $12 in non-major feeding regions. Feeder markets were slightly softer Monday through Wednesday; however, feedlot operators were quick to back away […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
