Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle and hog futures surged on Tuesday, fueled by strength in the cash market as the grocery sector looked to restock shelves following heavy buying during the weekend. Bargain buying also helped support the livestock market. Both live cattle and feeder cattle futures were recovering from near 10-year lows hit […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs rally after grocery stores depleted
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs, cattle limit down on coronavirus fears
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures fell their expanded daily limit on Friday on fears that the coronavirus pandemic could curb consumer demand for meat and threaten the workforce at slaughterhouses, traders said. “The germophobia is in full force,” said Don Roose, president of Iowa-based U.S. Commodities. Traders are considering that more widespread […] Read more
China proposes new standards on hormone residues in beef
New standards would apply to all beef exporters
Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing | Reuters — China has drawn up food safety standards on residue limits of growth hormones in beef, a move seen as a further step toward opening up its market to imports of the meat from the U.S. China has previously had zero tolerance for any residues of growth hormones, which has restricted the […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures sag as virus woes fuel recession fears
Bearish market sentiment also drags on hogs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures fell on Wednesday, with several deferred months setting contract lows as fears of a global recession sent global equity markets tumbling and fueled uncertainty about consumer demand for beef, traders said. “The cattle market really follows what is going on with equities, and equities are down near […] Read more
A+W starts move to all-grass-fed, all-Canadian beef
Suppliers lined up to begin transition this spring
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canadian burger chain A+W’s next move to distinguish its menu in a crowded quick-service market will be a connection to the regenerative ag movement, as it sets itself up with an all-Canadian and all-grass-fed beef supply. The Vancouver-based chain, which includes almost 1,000 restaurants across Canada, announced Monday it’s “making a commitment to exclusively source […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle sink to new lows
COVID-19 continues to spook investors
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures ended mostly lower on Thursday, with several key contracts notching new contract lows on nagging worries about the spread of coronavirus and its impact on global economic growth and demand for beef. Commodity funds, which had recently built up a sizable net long position in live […] Read more
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
Chinese meat packing giant locks in JBS supply
Reading Time: < 1 minute The world’s biggest pork packer is poised to source additional beef, poultry and pork from the world’s biggest meat packing firm. Brazil’s JBS announced Monday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Hong Kong-based WH Group for “supply and distribution of fresh beef, poultry and pork to the Chinese market” starting in the first […] Read more
Virus concerns add more uncertainty to cattle market
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Cattle futures in Chicago dropped hard over the past few days, as mounting concerns over the new coronavirus in China triggered a broad-based selloff in global equities and commodities. While the virus adds an extra layer of uncertainty to the North American cattle market, expectations for solid beef demand should remain supportive for […] Read more
Klassen: Large feedlot inventories lower feeder demand
Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $2-$3 on either side of unchanged and mid-weight feeders (600-850 lbs.) were steady to $2 lower, but calves under 600 lbs. were unchanged to as much as $10 lower. Prices were quite variable across the Prairies, which made the market hard to define. The market appeared […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
