A deep storm surge that flowed during Hurricane Dorian from the Pamlico Sound back to the Atlantic Ocean swept this cow off her home range on North Carolina’s Cedar Island over to the barrier island in Cape Lookout National Seashore, where she was found in early September. (U.S. National Park Service photo by Jeff West)

Dorian swept swimming cows two miles to North Carolina beach

Reading Time: 2 minutes Cape Lookout National Seashore, N.C. | Reuters — Three cows have been spotted beachcombing on a remote barrier island on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, swept to an unlikely grazing spot when Hurricane Dorian whipped waves powerful enough to carry them two miles from their home. One of the bovine bodysurfers was seen soon after the […] Read more

CME December 2019 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hogs drop on large supply, trade war jitters

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. livestock futures dropped on Wednesday, with lean hogs stumbling under pressure from large supplies in a turnaround from a rally a session earlier. Fresh uncertainty over U.S.-China trade relations added pressure to the hog market, analysts said. Traders and meat producers are hoping for further U.S. pork sales to China, […] Read more


In a photo posted Nov. 6, incoming Berthier-Maskinonge MP Yves Perron meets with the riding’s outgoing NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau to pick up active files from her constituency office. (Facebook)

Bloc Quebecois president tapped as party’s ag critic

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Bloc Quebecois will head into the House of Commons next month with a new critic handling the agriculture portfolio. Bloc leader Yves-Francois Blanchet has named Yves Perron, the rookie MP for Berthier-Maskinonge, as the party’s critic for agriculture, agri-food and supply management. As the Bloc’s ag critic, Perron replaces Mirabel MP Simon Marcil, who […] Read more

Five pork, five beef and three poultry plants will be built to help supply China’s appetite for meat.  Photo: iStock/Getty Images

Brazil gets approval for 13 meatpacking plants for China exports

Reading Time: 2 minutes Sao Paulo | Brazil | Reuters – Chinese authorities approved new Brazilian meat exporting plants on Tuesday, according to the Brazilian agriculture ministry, a highly anticipated move as the two nations continue to strengthen trade ties. The approvals come as China seeks to increase meat imports to compensate for the death of around half of […] Read more


Photo: Thinkstock

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs rally on technical buying, rising pork prices

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – U.S. lean hog futures rose by as much as 3 percent on Tuesday on technical buying and short-covering, and as hopes for expanded pork exports to China more than offset pressure stemming from ample U.S. hog supplies, traders said. Rising pork prices and strong meatpacker margins gave the market further support […] Read more

Photo: File

Klassen: Feeder cattle market consolidation continues

Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were unchanged from week-ago levels. Larger pre-sort calf sales were held across the prairies. Buying interest was barely sufficient to support the market at the current levels.  The risk tolerance shifted from medium to low this past week. Discounts appeared to be more severe on unweaned and unvaccinated calves. Colder […] Read more


Photo: File

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures firm on strong cash market, rising beef prices

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – U.S. live cattle futures firmed on Friday, supported by strong cash feedlot cattle and beef prices and robust packer profit margins. The market posted a modest decline for the week after eight straight weeks of gains, but prices remain near six-month peaks reached after the two-month rally took futures up by […] Read more

Photo: Canstock

China reshapes global meat markets as swine fever rages

Reading Time: 4 minutes London | Beijing | Reuters – China is scouring the world for meat to replace the millions of pigs killed by African swine fever (ASF), boosting prices, business and profits for European and South American meatpackers as it re-shapes global markets for pork, beef and chicken. The European Union, the world’s second largest pork producer […] Read more


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U.S. livestock: Hog futures rise on hopes for Chinese pork import tariff rollback

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – U.S. lean hog futures closed mostly higher on Thursday on renewed hopes for accelerated U.S. pork sales to China after officials from both countries said an interim trade deal could include a phased rollback of tariffs. The hog market has been highly sensitive to any signs of easing trade tensions between […] Read more