(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures end week nearly flat, as hog futures inch up

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle futures ended the week near previous levels, as funds took some profits on deferred cattle positions and cash trade remained light. Cash cattle prices were steady to up $1 in Iowa and Nebraska on Friday, with prices at $114 to $116, traders said. Meanwhile, hog […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Futures mixed as hog futures rally chills

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) livestock futures had a mixed day of trading on Thursday as a dearth of cash trade fueled more selling of nearby live cattle contracts and buying of the deferred months, traders said. The recent rally on hog futures continued to cool, as the market corrected after a […] Read more


Photo: Thinkstock

U.S. livestock: Futures mixed as rally on hog futures slows

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) livestock futures ended the day mixed, with a lack of buying interest and light cash trade prompting dealers on Wednesday to sell their nearby live cattle contracts and buy the deferred months, traders said. Meanwhile, hog traders also took a cue from the cash market, as signs of an […] Read more

Photo: iStock/File

U.S. livestock: Futures rally on choppy grains, hopes for Chinese buying spree

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live hog futures rallied on Tuesday, as competition among packers for spot delivery grew and animal weights slipped after the recent U.S. heat wave, traders said. Live cattle futures also inched up, supported in part by choppy trading in U.S. grain futures and growing questions of whether […] Read more


Order buyers have been very busy fielding calls for available cattle.  Photo: Thinkstock

Klassen: Yearling prices surge

Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, Western Canadian yearling prices were $3 to as much as $10 higher while calves traded $2 to $5 above week-ago levels.  Most auction barns remain in holiday mode; however, order buyers were extremely busy fielding calls for available cattle. This caused the yearling market in Western Canada to divorce from the […] Read more

Live cattle futures were lifted by expectations of herd expansion slowing.  Photo: File

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures rally on corn futures slump

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) feeder cattle futures inched upward on Monday, as corn futures fell sharply and traders hoped that feed costs will continue to remain under pressure. Meanwhile, lean hog futures faced choppy trading on Monday as the market wrestles with continued expectations for – but no clear signs yet […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market experiences fortuitous bounce

Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $2-$5 higher on average. Auction barns had limited numbers on offer but strong buying interest surfaced for quality packages. Alberta feedlots were the main buyers setting the price structure. There were two main factors enhancing demand this week. First, U.S. packers started to show some […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market softens on limited volumes

Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle prices were steady to $3 lower on average. Many auction barns were on holidays last week. Auctions that did hold sales had limited numbers on offer. The feeder market remains under pressure due to negative feeding margins, firm feed grain values and weakness in deferred live cattle […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Manitoba to open up Crown lands for grazing, haying

Reading Time: 2 minutes Some Manitoba Crown lands not generally used for grazing or haying will be made available for temporary lease to producers this summer and fall. Citing “dry conditions in parts of the province,” the Manitoba government announced Monday that livestock producers “will temporarily be allowed to cut hay and allow animals to graze on Crown land […] Read more

Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Trade Diversification Minister Jim Carr meet with Canadian beef and pork industry officials Wednesday in Montreal. (Photo courtesy Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)

Canada proposes China meat export solution

Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Canada offered a plan to reassure China about the security of its meat export system, a Canadian minister said on Wednesday, as Ottawa rejected Chinese criticism of its efforts to enlist allies to resolve a diplomatic dispute between the countries. China said last week it wanted the Canadian government to stop allowing meat […] Read more