CME June 2019 lean hogs with Bollinger (20,2) bands, a gauge of market volatility. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs mixed, nearbys up on export hopes

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures ended mixed on Thursday, with nearby futures contracts building on strong gains in the previous session on expectations that China would soon sharply accelerate imports of U.S. pork. Deferred contracts were pressed down by active spread trading that featured buying of June futures and selling of October […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Maple Leaf quarterly profit misses estimates as costs rise

Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Packaged meat producer Maple Leaf Foods reported a lower-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday, hit by higher costs as it invested more in new initiatives and capacity expansion. The company has been keen on expanding in the U.S., seeing growth opportunities in humanely raised animal products and alternative protein sources. In April, the company […] Read more


(DrummondExport.com)

Label problem caused China’s suspension of two pork shippers

Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg/Ottawa | Reuters — China’s suspension of two Canadian pork exporters’ permits was due to a labeling problem, Canada’s agriculture minister said, adding that she was hopeful of it being resolved. China’s action against two Canadian pork companies, announced by Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Wednesday, widened a diplomatic rift between the countries. On Thursday, […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs limit up on technical buying, export hopes

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures rallied sharply on Wednesday with several contracts closing up the daily trading limit on technical buying and speculation that Chinese demand for U.S. pork is poised to grow. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is due to release weekly export sales data early on Thursday and traders […] Read more


CME June 2019 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle sink on fund liquidation, technical selling

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures fell on Tuesday, with the actively traded June contract down for a seventh straight session, as fund long liquidation and technical selling pressured the market. Before the latest selloff in cattle began, commodity funds had built a record large net long position, and open interest in the […] Read more

Devin Dreeshen is sworn in on April 30, 2019 as Alberta’s agriculture minister; Premier Jason Kenney looks on. (Video screengrab from Government of Alberta via YouTube)

Alberta UCP’s trade critic named ag minister

Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta’s new premier has tapped a not-quite-rookie MLA with experience in farming, farm policy and U.S. politics as his new minister of agriculture and forestry. Jason Kenney, sworn in Tuesday as premier, named Devin Dreeshen, the MLA for Innisfail-Sylvan Lake since last July, to handle the ag and forestry file. Dreeshen came to the UCP’s […] Read more





CME June 2019 hogs with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs post third weekly slide

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures declined on Friday, pressured by soft cash markets and long liquidation, traders said. The benchmark June lean hogs contract on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange recorded its third straight weekly decline after soaring to an April 5 contract high at 99.825 cents/lb. (all figures US$). The contract closed […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs limit down on disappointing export sales

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures plunged on Thursday, with the five most actively traded contracts settling down the daily three-cent-per-pound limit after weekly U.S. export data showed no new pork sales to China, traders said. Live cattle and feeder cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange also declined, pressured by long liquidation […] Read more