Manitoba Pork Council chair George Matheson and federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announce funding for a two-year pilot insurance program for Manitoba hog producers. (Dave Bedard photo)

Manitoba to pilot insurance program against hog disease risks

Pork council study backed with federal, provincial funds

Reading Time: 3 minutes “Private sector solutions” to manage financial risks caused by disease outbreaks on hog farms are on the drawing board in a new Manitoba-led pilot project that could go nationwide. Coming out of a Thursday morning meeting with hog producers in Winnipeg, federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced $482,158 from the AgriRisk Initiatives (ARI) arm of […] Read more


CME April 2020 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle bounce after this week’s four-month lows

Plentiful hog supplies drag on futures

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed higher on Friday on bargain buying after the benchmark April contract fell to a 4-1/2-month low this week, with traders citing expectations for a seasonal pickup in beef demand, traders said. Benchmark April live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange settled up 1.8 cents at […] Read more

Cups of lassi, a traditional Indian yogurt drink, at a food stall. (Jedraszak/iStock/Getty Images)

India offers U.S. dairy, chicken access in bid for elusive trade deal

Reading Time: 3 minutes New Delhi/Washington | Reuters — India has offered to partially open up its poultry and dairy markets in a bid for a limited trade deal during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first official visit to the country this month, people familiar with the protracted talks say. India, the world’s largest milk-producing nation, has traditionally restricted dairy […] Read more


CME April 2020 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs edge up on hopes for Chinese demand

April live cattle up on short-covering

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures rose modestly on Thursday on technical buying and hopes China will step up purchases of U.S. agricultural goods including pork as the U.S.-China Phase One trade deal takes effect, brokers said. Benchmark April lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange settled up 0.3 cent at 64.075 […] Read more

CME April 2020 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle rise on broad commodity strength

Nearby hogs down on weak cash values

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed higher on Wednesday, bouncing off a four-month low on bargain buying along with broad-based strength in equity and commodity markets as fears subsided about the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in China. The benchmark April live cattle futures contract on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) […] Read more


(iStock/Getty Images)

North American hog markets wracked by coronavirus

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Besides shutting down entire cities and killing more than 1,000 people, China’s novel coronavirus outbreak has wreaked havoc on North America’s hog futures. “It’s a dubious relationship, but it is impacting markets,” said Tyler Fulton, risk management director for Hams Marketing Services in Winnipeg. Lean hog futures moved “in concert with drops in […] Read more

CME April 2020 live cattle with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle sag on weaker cash trade

Coronavirus jitters also rattle cattle markets

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. live cattle futures fell on Tuesday, with the benchmark April contract touching its lowest since late September on falling cash cattle prices and worries about the impact of the coronavirus outbreak in China, traders said. Cash cattle traded lightly in Kansas and Nebraska at $119-$120 per cwt, traders said, down […] Read more


(JBSS.infoinvest.com.br)

How JBS became collateral damage in a war between billionaires

JBS now plans to tweak U.S. IPO, executive says

Reading Time: 4 minutes Sao Paulo | Reuters — A business dispute between the disgraced billionaire Batista brothers in Brazil and the heir to an Indonesian pulp and paper fortune is throwing a wrench in meatpacker JBS SA’s plans to for a U.S. listing of its international operations, such as its Canadian beef plant. The dispute stems from a […] Read more

Taste-testing during a Canadian Beef Advantage Seminar in Shanghai in 2013. (Canada Beef via YouTube)

Klassen: Uncertain beef demand weighs on feeder market

Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian prices for yearling and heavier calves were down $2-$4 on average. The calf market was hard to define; Alberta markets traded $3 lower to $4 higher but notable strength was evident in Saskatchewan and Manitoba where values were steady to $4 higher. Favourable weather contributed to higher auction market […] Read more