Reading Time: 2 minutes Average prices for steer and heifer calves jumped $8-$10 this past week with some buyers reporting values as much as $15 above week-ago levels. Feedlot operators could feel it in their bones earlier in November and there were no strings attached on orders flowing across the Prairies. Favourable weather reinforced the narrow premium of weaned […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle jump on positive outlook
U.S. October feedlot cattle placements hit four-year low
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. feedlots in October received five per cent fewer cattle than a year earlier, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Friday, a four-year low for that month that was in line with average trade predictions. Ranchers grew cattle outside of feedlots longer thanks to still healthy grazing pastures in parts of […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle gain slightly before USDA report
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures nearby contracts posted modest gains on Friday as traders tweaked positions before the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s monthly Cattle on Feed report at 2 p.m. CT. Most analysts, on average, believe fewer animals were put into feedlots in October than a year ago. December live […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Strong cash prices boost CME live cattle
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures on Wednesday reached their highest level in two months, driven by fund buying and better-than-expected cash prices, said traders. December live cattle closed up 2.725 cents/lb. to 108.2 cents, and February ended 1.975 cents higher at 108.5 cents (all figures US$). On Wednesday packers paid […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle hit two-week high on technical buying
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures climbed to a roughly two-week high on Friday, boosted by chart-based buying ahead of a government supply report that was released after the close, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle extended steep gains from the previous session, with the two-day percentage rise of 4.9 per cent […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle fall as beef prices tumble
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures fell the most in 1-1/2 weeks on Wednesday in a selloff linked to lacklustre demand from meat packers and government data that showed the lowest wholesale beef prices in four years, traders said. Feeder cattle futures dropped the most so far this month while lean hogs declined […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle erase losses to finish flat
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures finished roughly unchanged on Friday, reversing from earlier steep losses as investors squared up positions ahead of a monthly supply report that was released after the market close, traders and analysts said. Feeder cattle and lean hogs also settled about flat at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, in […] Read more
U.S. livestock: More CME live cattle selling on weaker cash outlook
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures’ losing streak stretched to a seventh consecutive session on Tuesday in anticipation of softer cash prices by Friday, traders said. August live cattle ended down 0.175 cent/lb. to 113.25 cents (all figures US$). Most actively traded October closed 0.625 cent lower at 109.725 cents. Bids […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle weaken before USDA report
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures on Friday posted losses for a fourth consecutive session, partly on caution before Friday’s U.S. Department of Agriculture’s monthly Cattle on Feed report at 2 p.m. CT, traders said. Analysts polled by Reuters, on average, believe that July 2016 cattle placements increased modestly compared to […] Read more
Klassen: Large beef supplies weigh on feeder market
Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle prices experienced a week-over-week decline of $8-$12 on average while isolated sales dropped nearly $20. The sharp fall in the fed cattle market was the main reason for the deteriorating buying interest. Just when feedlots thought the worst was over, the market gave them another dose of reality. The retail market […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
