Photo: File

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures fall on concerns over increasing supplies

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Live cattle futures dropped to their lowest prices in more than a week on Tuesday and feeder cattle futures fell to seven-week lows on worries about increasing U.S. supplies, analysts said. Feedlots were offering to sell some 5,000 more cattle than a week ago, said Rich Nelson, chief strategist for Illinois-based […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder cattle demand softens

Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $2 to as much as $5 lower. Feedlot margins have come under pressure over the past week which resulted in lower bids for all weight categories. Alberta and Saskatchewan feedlot inventories are running 18 to 20 per cent above year-ago levels. Pen space is at […] Read more


PHOTO: Thinkstock

U.S. livestock: Hog futures jump on technical buying

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange gained as much as 1.7 percent on Monday, rising on technical buying and calendar spreading despite weaker prices for hogs in U.S. cash markets, traders said. Live and feeder cattle futures each were narrowly mixed in spread trading amid a lack of fresh […] Read more

Photo: Canada Beef Inc.

U.S. livestock: Live cattle slip from 3-week high in technical setback

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures dropped on Thursday in a technical-selling and profit-taking setback after scaling to three-week highs the previous day. Strengthening cash beef prices and government data showing smaller-than-expected cattle supplies at feedlots had supported the market earlier this week. “Coming out of the cattle on feed report, […] Read more


(Gloria Solano-Aguilar photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs end limit-up on African swine fever jitters

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures surged on Wednesday as concerns about the spread of African swine fever, particularly in China, fueled buying that took some contracts up by as much as their daily trading limits. Additional support in actively traded December futures stemmed from the contract’s discount to cash hog […] Read more

Photo: Canada Beef Inc.

Klassen: Feeder cattle market volatility continues

Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, Western Canadian yearlings sold $4 to $6 lower while calves were extremely variable dropping $4 to as much as $10 in some cases. Many auction barns held feature sales last week and larger supplies weighed on the market. Weakness in the deferred live cattle futures also contributed to the softer tone. Feeder […] Read more


File photo

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures rebound on supply reports

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle and hog futures rose on Monday, bouncing back from Friday’s decline as traders digested government reports that showed supplies, while remaining abundant, were less than expected. Concerns about the spread of African swine fever in China added support. The U.S. Agriculture Department on Monday reported that beef in cold […] Read more

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

EU clear to start talks to increase U.S. beef imports

Reading Time: < 1 minute Brussels | Reuters — European Union countries agreed on Friday to allow negotiations to start with Washington on increasing U.S. beef imports into Europe, in a move that could ease transatlantic trade tensions. The Commission, which negotiates on behalf of the 28 EU nations, said it would open formal talks in the coming days on […] Read more


A Western blot analysis, used to detect specific proteins in tissue samples, is used to confirm BSE in cattle. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Scotland identifies ‘classical’ BSE case

Reading Time: 2 minutes London | Reuters — Scotland’s government said on Thursday that a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) had been discovered on a farm in Aberdeenshire, the first in Britain since 2015. A quarantine area has been put in place around the farm while inspectors try to identify the origin of the disease. “I have activated […] Read more

Cattle on pasture in the Philippines. (LeoLee/iStock/Getty Images)

Canadian cattle’s access to Philippines restored

Reading Time: 2 minutes The regulatory path has been cleared to resume exports of live Canadian cattle to the Philippines, reopening a market worth an estimated $8 million per year. The federal government on Monday announced the resumed export clearance, along with new market access for Canadian sheep and goat genetics exports to both Indonesia and the Philippines. The […] Read more