(Dave Bedard photo)

McDonald’s to curb antibiotic use in its beef supply

Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — McDonald’s Corp. said Tuesday it plans to reduce the use of antibiotics in its global beef supply, fueling projections that other restaurants will follow suit. The move by the world’s biggest fast-food chain addresses concerns that the overuse of antibiotics vital to fighting human infections in farm animals may diminish the drugs’ effectiveness […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Cattle climb on technical buying, demand optimism

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures gained about one per cent on Tuesday, lifted by technical buying and optimism for the continued robust demand for cattle and beef, traders and analysts said. Cattle futures shrugged off three straight sessions of declines to rise to the highest levels in about a week. […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market experiences softer demand

Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle sold $4-$6 lower on average. Feedlot operators backed away from the markets due to stronger feed grain prices and weakness south of the border. Certain regions of the U.S. Midwest and southern Plains have experienced adverse weather, which caused U.S. feeder cattle prices to experience a week-over-week […] Read more



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U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs rebound

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures closed out the week on a positive note on Friday as hopes for a pickup in pork sales to China fueled speculative buying that lifted prices more than one per cent and reversed the prior session’s losses. The market remains focused on trade talks between the U.S. […] Read more

(JBSS.infoinvest.com.br)

U.S. investigators question shareholders of Brazil’s JBS

Reading Time: < 1 minute Brasilia | Reuters –– U.S. investigators this week visited Brazil to question shareholders of J+F Investimentos, the holding company that controls meatpacker JBS SA, as part of an existing plea deal, Brazilian prosecutors said on Friday in a statement. U.S. authorities have been investigating the companies controlled by J+F since their largest shareholders — brothers […] Read more






CME August 2019 live cattle (red) and January 2019 feeder cattle (blue). (Barchart)

Klassen: Feeder market searching for direction

Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were quite variable from seven days earlier. Prices were unchanged in the eastern Prairie regions; however, Alberta markets traded $3 to as much as $7 below week-ago levels. Alberta and Saskatchewan feedlot inventories are running 16 per cent above year-ago levels, so there’s limited buying power available. Calves are fleshier […] Read more