Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange closed lower on Wednesday as traders booked profits, one day after the benchmark April contract set a life-of-contract high and the U.S. Agriculture Department reported a three per cent year-on-year drop in the size of the U.S. cattle herd. CME April live cattle […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures ease off contract highs
Chicago lean hog values retreat
Beef consumption to rise in China, JBS predicts
China seen as more competitive in domestic chicken, pork markets
Reading Time: < 1 minute Sao Paulo | Reuters — Demand for beef in China is expected to rise as the country still has relatively low per capita consumption, Gilberto Tomazoni, chief executive of JBS SA, said on Wednesday during a business conference. He said Brazil and the U.S., where JBS has meat facilities, are well positioned to meet China’s […] Read more
U.S. livestock: April live cattle down slightly
U.S. cattle inventory report shows steep decline; lean hogs also lower
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures climbed to new contract highs early in the session before settling slightly lower on Tuesday, as traders assessed U.S. cattle inventory levels ahead of the U.S. Agriculture Department’s biannual report. After the market closed, USDA reported that the U.S. beef cow herd dropped to 28.9 million head, […] Read more
U.S. beef cow herd falls to lowest level since 1962, USDA says
Last year saw record cull, Rabobank reports
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. beef cow herd dropped to its lowest level since 1962, U.S. Department of Agriculture data showed on Tuesday, after a severe drought raised costs for livestock feed. Ranchers increasingly sent cows to slaughter last year, instead of keeping them to reproduce, as dry weather reduced the amount of pasture […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle firm on strong cash trade
Cattle inventory report due out Tuesday; CME hogs end mixed
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures firmed on Monday, supported by strengthening cash trade and in anticipation of the U.S. Agriculture Department’s biannual cattle inventory report, due out on Tuesday. “Historically, the cattle inventory report wouldn’t be that big of a market mover. But it is a good check in on where you’re […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures drop on plentiful supplies
Live cattle steady to weak
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures eased on Friday, with ample supplies weighing on prices due to a heavy pace of slaughter this year. Live cattle futures were steady to weak in rangebound trade, with light activity in the cash market hanging over prices. February lean hog futures dropped 1.15 cents, to 75.875 cents/lb., […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures up off lowest since December 2021
Cattle futures down with cash markets
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures rose on Thursday as strength in cash markets and rising export demand sparked a round of bargain buying after prices hit their lowest in more than a year. But weakness in the cash markets weighed on cattle futures. The U.S. Agriculture Department said on Thursday morning that export […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures hit lowest since late 2021
Ballooning supplies an issue; cattle futures mixed
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures fell to their lowest in more than a year on Wednesday, with plentiful supplies and weak export demand weighing on prices, traders said. Cattle futures were mixed, with nearby contracts easing while deferred contracts firmed on concerns about low animal weight. February lean hog futures ended […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures firm even as feed prices weigh
Lean hogs end lower, pork packing margins up
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange livestock futures were mixed on Tuesday as soybean and grain prices firmed, traders said. Live cattle and feeder futures were able to continue Monday’s price bump. But the higher feed prices weighed on the beef market, as did questions over consumer and export demand, StoneX chief commodities economist […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME cattle firm on bargain buying, grain values
Chicago lean hogs end day lower
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures firmed on Monday amid a spate of bargain buying after a recent slump in prices helped mute market impact of the bearish results of the latest Cattle on Feed report from the U.S. Agriculture Department, traders said. Cattle futures also were boosted by a sharp drop […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
