CME April 2020 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hogs, cattle ease amid uncertain Chinese demand

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. livestock futures came under pressure on Tuesday as traders waited for signs of increased Chinese demand after Beijing and Washington signed an initial trade deal last week. China pledged to increase purchases of U.S. agricultural products as part of the agreement, which is meant to reduce tensions after nearly two […] Read more

CME April 2020 live cattle with Bollinger (20,2) bands, a gauge of market volatility. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle, hogs firm on winter weather woes

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Front-month lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) settled about one per cent higher on Friday, supported by fears that a weekend winter storm in the Plains and Midwest would slow the transport of livestock and complicate pork and beef plant operations, traders said. “We see some significant disruptions […] Read more


CME February 2020 lean hogs with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs slide on Phase One uncertainty

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) fell about 1.5 per cent on Thursday, joining a broad sell-off in agricultural futures that traders attributed to fund selling and uncertainty about the details of a U.S.-China trade agreement signed a day earlier. China agreed to increase purchases of U.S. […] Read more



Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands after signing “Phase One” of a U.S.-China trade agreement during a ceremony at the White House in Washington on Jan. 15, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

‘Market condition’ caveat on U.S. ag purchases adds to Phase One doubts

Reading Time: 3 minutes Chicago | Reuters — China’s pledge to buy U.S. farm goods based on “market conditions” during the Phase One trade deal signing ceremony on Wednesday added to doubts among farmers and commodity traders over the lingering tariffs on U.S. exports. The agreement, meant to reduce tensions after nearly two years of a tit-for-tat tariff war, […] Read more

CME February 2020 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures rebound

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) closed higher on Tuesday, bouncing a day after falling to a one-month low as traders adjusted positions ahead of Wednesday’s planned signing of a U.S.-China trade agreement, brokers said. “The choppy trade continues. There is clearly some nervousness associated with what is […] Read more



A macrophage (immune response) cell in early stages of infection with African swine fever virus, magnified about 1,000x. (Keith Weller photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

VIDO-InterVac joins swine fever fight

Reading Time: 2 minutes The University of Saskatchewan’s vaccine research and development arm is set to become Canada’s first non-government agency to work with the African swine fever virus. Saskatoon-based Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) will start work with the virus this month at its Containment Level 3-Agriculture (CL3-Ag) facility, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said […] Read more