Flush farmers have a reputation for reinvesting in their operations, which has a positive impact on the economy. (Luca Piccini Basile/iStock/Getty Images)

StatsCan shows 2020 farm income up significantly

Farm cash receipts were up more than expenses

Reading Time: 4 minutes Canadian farm income, no matter how it’s measured, was up a lot in 2020, data released Wednesday by Statistics Canada show. Canadian net farm income of $18.1 billion is up $4.8 billion from 2019 — a 36.5 per cent increase. Another measure — realized net farm income (RNFI) — saw farmers take in $9.9 billion, […] Read more

CME August 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown, black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle, lean hogs firm on meat demand

Corn prices drag on feeder cattle

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog and live cattle futures climbed on Thursday on firming cash beef and pork prices and strong weekly export sales data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Feeder cattle futures were lower, however, pressured by soaring corn feed prices. USDA data released early on Thursday showed […] Read more


CME August 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20- and 50-day moving averages (pink, black lines) and August 2021 live cattle (red open/high/low/close). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs ease on profit-taking

Cash prices, corn values drag on cattle futures

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures settled mostly lower on Wednesday, as investors took profits after some nearby contracts scaled the highest levels in years during the session on strong cash hog and pork prices. Cash hog prices remained firm while pork values hovered near the highest in almost seven years, […] Read more

CME July 2021 lean hogs with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs up as pork prices rise, corn tumbles

Corn's decline also feeder cattle's gain

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures rebounded from the prior day’s losses on Tuesday on stronger cash pork prices and a weaker dollar, and as corn feed values fell sharply. Feeder cattle contracts also posted strong gains as benchmark corn futures on the Chicago Board of Trade plunged more than five […] Read more


CME August 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (red line) and July 2021 lean hogs (pink open/high/low/close). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures sink as on-feed supply tops estimates

Profit-taking drags on hogs

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures retreated on Monday after U.S. government data showed supplies in feedlots above trade expectations and as some traders worried about demand for beef. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said late on Friday that May 1 on-feed cattle supplies stood at 105 per cent of […] Read more

CME July 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and August 2021 live cattle (red open/high/low/close). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures rally to highest since August 2014

USDA's latest cattle count beats forecasts

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures rallied on Friday to their highest in nearly seven years, with strong demand outstripping supplies on hand as restaurants around the U.S. have been reopening after COVID-19 shutdowns, traders said. “We are seeing strong retail demand, with the food service trying to recapture their share of […] Read more


CME August 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (red line) and CBOT July 2021 corn (yellow line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures up with cash markets

Boxed beef, select cuts priced at one-year highs

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog and cattle futures rose on Wednesday, with the market underpinned by strength in the cash markets. Prices for the cattle contracts hit their highest in nearly a week, but closed off their session peaks as the corn market recovered from sharp declines. The early weakness in corn […] Read more

File photo of a steak sandwich with chimichurri sauce at a street food market in Buenos Aires. (Aleksandr_Vorobev/iStock/Getty Images)

Tensions build over Argentina’s beef export ban

Rural associations pledge pause in livestock trading

Reading Time: 2 minutes Buenos Aires | Reuters — Argentine farm groups will halt trading of livestock in protest against a 30-day government ban on beef exports aimed at bringing down domestic prices, the country’s main producer groups said in a joint statement Tuesday. The South American country’s centre-left Peronist government unveiled the ’emergency measure’ to tamp down high […] Read more


CME June 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (pink line) and June 2021 live cattle (red high/low/close). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures rally on technical bounce

June live cattle up, August feeders down

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Lean hog futures rallied on Tuesday, rising 1.8 per cent on a technical bounce after three straight days of declines pushed prices to their lowest since April 30, traders said. Concerns about a tightening of supplies during grilling season added support. “We are still watching weekly hog slaughter rates,” said Rich […] Read more

CME August 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20- and 50-day moving averages (brown, black lines) and June 2021 lean hogs (pink high/low/close). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures close to unchanged

CME June lean hog futures fall

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures settled close to unchanged on Monday, with attempts at a bargain-buying rally fizzling out after hitting some key resistance points. Hog futures were lower, notching their third straight day of declines on a technical setback. Cattle futures had weakened along with corn futures to end […] Read more