(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. livestock: Weather talk extends CME hog futures advances

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs contracts gained for a third straight session, partly on speculation that early wintry weather seeping into the U.S. Midwest could disrupt hog production, traders said. Heavy snowfall tends to snarl transportation of livestock while prolonged periods of extreme cold tend to slow animal weight gains and […] Read more

(Photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Quebec turns up second case of PEDv in hogs

Reading Time: 2 minutes Quebec has confirmed its second instance of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) in hogs, this time at a feeding operation in the Monteregie district. Biosecurity measures have been ramped up “promptly” at the unnamed farm to avoid the spread of the PED virus (PEDv) to other hog operations, the provincial ag ministry said in a release […] Read more


(CMEGroup.com)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle, hogs finish strong for the week

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures ended higher on Friday, with December helped by its discount to prices for market-ready or cash cattle, traders said. December closed up 1.45 cents per pound at 166.8 cents, and February 1.825 cents higher at 168.375 cents (all figures US$). On Friday, cash cattle in […] Read more

U.S. groups suing FDA over ractopamine approvals

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– A group of environmental and public health groups sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday, seeking to set aside the agency’s approvals for feed additives containing ractopamine that are used to boost the weight of cattle and pigs. The groups, in two related lawsuits filed in federal court, claim […] Read more


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Ontario supports local pork branding program

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Ontario government has provided Ontario Pork with up to $2 million to encourage more consumers to eat and purchase Ontario pork. In a release, the government said this supports Ontario’s local food strategy helping to make more local food available in the province’s markets, schools, cafeterias, grocery stores and restaurants. It said that since 2003, […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle futures end lower on weaker cash trade; hogs edge up

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago / Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle ended lower on Friday, pressured by lower cash cattle prices and weaker overall commodities market, traders said. “The morning beef prices were not good, but commodities in general had a rough day and cattle aren’t immune to those changes,” said Dominic Varricchio, commodities broker at Schwieterman, Inc. CME live cattle futures […] Read more


Protein demand, fracking affecting grain prices

Reading Time: 2 minutes Commodity News Service Canada — The difficulty in getting American soymeal from processors to the end-user is just one symptom of a much larger problem facing the current market, said a noted industry-watcher at the Cereals North America conference in Winnipeg. “In the last two or three weeks, grain prices have been moving, everything is […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle finish down, but off session lows

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle finish down, but off session lows

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago / Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures sagged Wednesday on profit-taking and fund selling, but strong wholesale beef values helped pull prices off morning lows, traders said. October closed down 0.200 cent per lb at 169.000 cents, and December was 1.025 cents lower at 166.750 cents. The morning’s choice wholesale beef price, or cutout, climbed $2.49 per hundredweight (cwt) from […] Read more


(CMEGroup.com)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs turn higher on short-covering

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs closed higher Tuesday, supported by short-covering and speculative buying after recent market losses, traders said. December finished 1.15 cents per pound higher at 90.2 cents, and February was up 1.075 cents at 89.3 cents (all figures US$). Fund buying surfaced after the December contract broke through […] Read more

(CMEGroup.com)

CME to include electronic trades in livestock settlement prices

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– CME Group will begin including electronic trades in the calculation of daily settlement prices for its live cattle, feeder cattle and lean hog contracts, the exchange said in a letter to its livestock customers Monday. The change, which is considered a blended settlement, will take effect from Dec. 15, pending a […] Read more