(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle sag with cash, beef prices

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell for a second straight day on Thursday, pressured by fallen cash and wholesale beef values, said traders. June, which will expire on June 30, closed 0.875 cent/lb. lower at 118.625 cents (all figures US$). Most actively-traded August finished 1.075 cents lower at 114.275 cents. […] Read more

(Regis Lefebure photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. livestock: Hogs hit one-year high as pork prices extend gains

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures were mostly higher on Wednesday, with the front-month contract rising to the highest levels in a year on support from rising prices for wholesale pork, traders and analysts said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange July lean hogs notched life-of-contract highs for the third straight session as investors continued to […] Read more


(Regis Lefebure photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. livestock: Hogs surge to one-year high

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures surged as much as four per cent on Monday, lifted by investment fund buying and higher pork prices that boosted meatpackers’ profit margins, traders and analysts said. Hogs on a continuous chart rose to the highest levels since last June 23. Most-active Chicago Mercantile Exchange August lean hog […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle hit seven-week high on packer margins

Reading Time: 2 minutes CORRECTED, March 17 — Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures rose to a seven-week high on Thursday, boosted by recent gains in beef prices that increased profit margins for meat packers, traders and analysts said. Technical buying also was noted, with some investors buying back positions in front-month Chicago Mercantile Exchange April live […] Read more



(National Pork Board (U.S.) photo via ARS/USDA)

Cash hog market benefits from barbecue season

Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada –– The Canadian hog market is gearing up to start bringing home the bacon. Weekly cash hog prices are higher on continued stronger seasonal pork cutout values, with lower supply creating better prices. “Prices generally do increase over the summer,” said Brad Marceniuk, a provincial livestock economist in Saskatoon. “I expect hog prices […] Read more


(Regis Lefebure photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Beijing to release frozen pork to temper price rise

Reading Time: < 1 minute Beijing | Reuters –– Beijing will release 3.05 million kilograms of frozen pork from its reserves over the next two months to combat rising pork prices, the city government said on Wednesday. Starting from Thursday and lasting until July 4, the Beijing municipal government will sell 50,000 kg of pork each day to 121 supermarket chains […] Read more



(Gloria Solano-Aguilar photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. hog herd ekes out new high as PED impact ebbs

Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — The U.S. hog herd in the December-February quarter modestly grew from a year earlier to a record high for that quarter, according to Friday’s U.S. Department of Agriculture quarterly hog report. Farmers cautiously added to herds while shoring up their bottom lines following the surge in hog numbers as the industry recovers from […] Read more

(Gloria Solano-Aguilar photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Pork market looks to improve by spring

Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — Canadian pork prices are feeling a modest bump upward as healthy U.S. exports clean up some excess North American pork supplies. Canadian slaughter-weight prices hit their lows in November and December — and since then, they have increased about 30 per cent, according to Brad Marceniuk, a livestock economist for Saskatchewan’s agriculture […] Read more