Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Smithfield Foods will shutter its hog processing facility, the world’s largest, on Saturday to protect employees in North Carolina from Hurricane Matthew, industry sources said on Friday, as farmers braced for the storm’s potential lashing. Matthew has fueled concerns about the safety of livestock and farm workers along the coast from […] Read more
Smithfield to shutter major hog plant against Matthew
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle stumble on weaker cash, beef quotes
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures finished lower on Thursday in response to the day’s fallen cash and wholesale beef prices, traders said. October live cattle ended 1.025 cents/lb. lower at 101.4 cents, and December 1.6 cents lower at 102.6 cents (all figures US$). Thursday afternoon’s choice beef price slumped $1.51/cwt […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Bargain buying rallies CME live cattle, hogs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures on Wednesday posted their biggest daily gain in a month, fueled by short-covering and bargain buying after recent market losses, traders said. October live cattle ended 2.4 cents/lb. higher at 102.425 cents, and December up 2.275 cents at 104.2 cents (all figures US$). Investors may […] Read more
Smithfield says Illinois hog plant shut down after fire
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Smithfield Foods on Tuesday said a hog slaughterhouse in western Illinois will be operational as soon as possible after a fire halted pork production on Monday. “(The) cause of the fire is being investigated,” Smithfield spokeswoman Kathleen Kirkham said, adding that there were no injuries in the fire that occurred in […] Read more
Brazil court probing state-backed loans to JBS
Reading Time: 2 minutes Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazil’s federal accounts court, the TCU, said it had identified irregularities on loans to JBS SA, the world’s largest beef producer, and is deepening an investigation into the company’s relationship with state-run lender BNDES. The TCU is probing loans used to purchase U.S.-companies Swift and Co, for about US$225 million […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
