CME October 2023 feeder cattle with 20-, and 100-day moving averages and May 2023 feeder cattle (black line). (Barchart)

Klassen: Weather forecasts underpin feeder market

High forage costs pose problem for cow-calf expansion

For the week ending Saturday, western Canadian feeder cattle markets were relatively unchanged from seven days earlier. The finishing feedlot operator appears to be dominating the feeder market across all weight categories. Ontario interest was creeping all the way into Alberta, especially for Limousin-type genetics. There were limited numbers on offer in Manitoba and Saskatchewan […] Read more

Smoke rises from the southeast side of a wildfire being tackled by helicopters near Shining Bank, Alta., about 200 km west of Edmonton, on May 19, 2023. (Photo: Alberta Wildfire/Handout via Reuters)

Prairie Forecast Update: A few small tweaks

Update issued May 21, 2023, covering May 21-24, 2023

The weather models are continuing to do a good job with the short- to medium-range forecasts, but there have been a couple of small changes that have been slowly working into the forecast. Weak troughing off the West Coast is still forecasted to kick off the development of a leeside low in Alberta. This low […] Read more


CME July 2023 lean hogs with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures drop to contract lows on demand woes

CME cattle futures also lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures sank to contract lows on Monday, with the market under pressure from plentiful supplies and weak demand for pork at grocery stores and on the export market. “The story remains one of a slow-to-move product market,” brokerage StoneX said in a note to clients. Cattle futures […] Read more



CME August 2023 live cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures rally

Hog futures slide to new lows; USDA cattle report seen as neutral

Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures rose on Friday in a bout of technical trading, as cash prices remained relatively steady and investors positioned themselves ahead of the monthly U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report, traders said. On the pork side, a second day of volatile trading across lean hog futures resulted […] Read more

Record fed cattle prices, feeder prices also seen strong

Record fed cattle prices, feeder prices also seen strong

The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the June 2023 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Fed cattle Fed cattle prices continue to set new records in 2023. Significant increases in exports led to current marketing positions for feedlots sooner than expected. Supplies are tight and carcass weights have dropped which has packers looking to secure inventory and cut back on kill days. In mid-May the fed steer average in Alberta […] Read more


CME August 2023 feeder cattle with 20-day moving average (red line, right column) and CBOT July 2023 corn (yellow line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures up ahead of USDA feedlot data

Hog futures mixed; U.S. pork export sales up on week

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rose on Thursday on technical buying and position-squaring ahead of a monthly U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report that is expected to show fewer cattle in U.S. feedlots compared to a year ago, traders said. CME June live cattle settled up 0.7 cent at 165.525 […] Read more

File photo of a storm cloud from the southwestern end of Lake Winnipeg at Matlock, Man. (IanChrisGraham/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

More than half of world’s large lakes drying up, study finds

Gains in Great Lakes, Lake Winnipeg come from runoff, rainfall

London | Reuters — More than half of the world’s large lakes and reservoirs have shrunk since the early 1990s, chiefly because of climate change, intensifying concerns about water for agriculture, hydropower and human consumption, a study published on Thursday found. A team of international researchers reported that some of the world’s most important freshwater […] Read more


Mark Hoimyr stands in front of his cattle as he addresses attendees at the Canadian Farm Writers Conference in September of 2022.

Box H Ranch explores severe grazing

Laura and Mark Hoimyr focus on longer rest periods on their ranch in southeastern Saskatchewan

It’s a September afternoon when a large charter bus coasts down the back roads near Gladmar, Sask. The hills roll like waves, and the bus rolls with them, inducing nausea. Before long, the bus slows, then stops. Farm journalists and communicators, part of the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation annual conference, file off the bus and […] Read more

Smoke from active wildfires in Alberta’s north and west hangs over Calgary on May 16, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Leah Hennel)

No respite expected for wildfire-hit Alberta

Forecasts call for fire conditions to worsen

Ottawa | Reuters — Abnormally hot and dry weather is set to return to Alberta on Thursday after a couple of cooler days helped calm wildfires that have forced thousands of evacuations in the province. Record-high temperatures and tinder-dry vegetation have led to an intense, early start to wildfire season in Western Canada this year. […] Read more