Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing | Reuters — China’s dwindling pace of meat imports, thanks to its tough measures against coronavirus contamination, will provide further support for prices already buoyed by a severe shortage of pork, analysts said. Purchases of pork and other meats have soared this year after domestic production shrank 30 per cent following an outbreak of […] Read more
China’s slower meat imports seen worsening its protein shortage
U.S. livestock: Live cattle jump to two-month high
Lean hogs up on bargain buying
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures on Monday reached a two-month high on follow-through buying from last week, while lean hog futures edged up on bargain buying, traders said. Cattle futures are extending a recovery after recently regaining a premium over cash prices, traders said. Technical buying helped support the futures market even […] Read more
U.S. senators question packers over exports to China during pandemic
USDA shows record pork exports to China in April, raising questions about rising U.S. meat prices
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Two prominent U.S. Senate Democrats are pressing America’s top meatpackers to disclose by month’s end how much pork, beef and chicken they shipped to China during the coronavirus outbreak while warning of possible meat shortages at home. The request from Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker increases scrutiny of companies such […] Read more
Hog sector hit hard by pandemic
Market weakness seen likely to push some farmers out of business
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — COVID-19 has hit the hog sector hard, with the double-edged sword of large supplies and reduced demand weighing heavily on the market. “The prospect of profitability at current forward prices and at current cash prices is nil… and there’s really no prospect of making anything this year,” said Tyler Fulton, director of risk […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures down on large supplies
CME August cattle also close lower
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures extended a decline on Thursday under pressure from large supplies and rebounding pork production, analysts said. Traders expect meat packers to have ample hogs to slaughter after livestock backed up on farms when processing plants temporarily closed in April and May because of COVID-19 outbreaks among meatpacking […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle down as slaughter recovers, beef prices sag
Hog futures mostly up on technical buying
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures fell on Friday, pressured by softening prices for market-ready cattle and declining packer profit margins as wholesale beef prices continue to slide, analysts said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) June live cattle futures settled down 1.825 cents at 93.9 cents/lb. and benchmark August fell 1.75 cents at 96.175 […] Read more
Pork packer considering Moose Jaw’s ex-beef plant
Donald's Fine Foods announces 'feasibility study'
Reading Time: 2 minutes A potential buyer’s study could soon show whether a former beef packing plant in southern Saskatchewan has the bones to support a pork processing operation for cull sows. Richmond, B.C.-based Donald’s Fine Foods, which since 2010 has operated the Thunder Creek Pork hog plant at Moose Jaw, announced last week it plans to run a […] Read more
China tells state firms to halt purchases of major U.S. farm products
Purchases of soybeans, pork, corn, cotton on hold
Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing/Singapore | Reuters –– China has told state-owned firms to halt purchases of soybeans and pork from the United States, two people familiar with the matter said, after Washington said it would eliminate special treatment for Hong Kong to punish Beijing. Large-volume state purchases of U.S. corn and cotton have also been put on hold, […] Read more
Olymel pork plant workers take slaughter into OT
Over 800 volunteered for added shifts with charitable twist, packer says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Workers at three Olymel hog slaughter plants in Quebec volunteered for overtime shifts over the weekend to help clear the province’s backlog of market-weight hogs, the company said Saturday. Sollio’s meat packing arm said over 800 workers at its slaughter plants at Yamachiche and St-Esprit and the former F. Menard plant it now owns at […] Read more
HyLife buys pork packing, hog production capacity
Firm buys stake in U.S. packer, Manitoba hog farming business
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canadian hog production and pork processing firm HyLife has moved to expand its reach in North American pork packing as well as Manitoba hog farming. La Broquerie, Man.-based HyLife announced last week it has bought a 75 per cent stake in Taylor Corp.’s Prime Pork, a packing and processing operation at Windom, Minnesota, about 200 […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
