CME July 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and August 2021 live cattle (red open/high/low/close). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures rally to highest since August 2014

USDA's latest cattle count beats forecasts

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures rallied on Friday to their highest in nearly seven years, with strong demand outstripping supplies on hand as restaurants around the U.S. have been reopening after COVID-19 shutdowns, traders said. “We are seeing strong retail demand, with the food service trying to recapture their share of […] Read more

The more government piles on regulations, the bigger the advantage for bigger operators with deeper pockets leaving smaller operators disadvantaged or driven out of business.

Are we headed for government-run packers?

Free Market Reflections with Steve Dittmer

You folks up north might remember when President Obama and the labour unions took over General Motors. People started referring to GM as Government Motors. Well, we’ve got folks who want to turn our packers into quasi-government packing companies. After all, if the government is going to tell packers how to buy cattle, how many […] Read more


CME August 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (red line) and CBOT July 2021 corn (yellow line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures up with cash markets

Boxed beef, select cuts priced at one-year highs

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog and cattle futures rose on Wednesday, with the market underpinned by strength in the cash markets. Prices for the cattle contracts hit their highest in nearly a week, but closed off their session peaks as the corn market recovered from sharp declines. The early weakness in corn […] Read more

The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association says expanding price insurance into the Maritimes is a “very high priority.”

Bringing livestock price insurance to the Maritimes

News Roundup, from the May 2021 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Work is underway to bring livestock price insurance to Atlantic Canada’s beef producers.  While producers in Western Canada have access to the Western Livestock Price Insurance Program and Quebec and Ontario also have risk management programs, producers in the Maritimes lack any program to offset market risk.  “Producers in the Maritimes manage their risk by […] Read more


CME June 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (pink line) and June 2021 live cattle (red high/low/close). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures rally on technical bounce

June live cattle up, August feeders down

Chicago | Reuters — Lean hog futures rallied on Tuesday, rising 1.8 per cent on a technical bounce after three straight days of declines pushed prices to their lowest since April 30, traders said. Concerns about a tightening of supplies during grilling season added support. “We are still watching weekly hog slaughter rates,” said Rich […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Drier conditions will influence feeder market

The feeder market was hard to define this week. The quality of yearlings was quite variable. Fleshier types were heavily discounted while quality packages were unchanged from seven days earlier. Calf prices were mostly unchanged; however, values were down $4-$6 in drier pockets of southern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba. Southern Alberta barley prices were quoted […] Read more


Supplementing minerals on pasture — a necessary evil!

Supplementing minerals on pasture — a necessary evil!

Nutrition with John McKinnon

Hopefully, as you read this article, “spring has sprung” and pastures across the country are showing signs of early growth. For cow-calf operators, the arrival of spring signifies the transition from winter feeding to a new grazing season. Spring pasture growth is considered an excellent forage source for meeting the nutritional requirements of lactating cows, […] Read more

CME August 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20- and 50-day moving averages (brown, black lines) and June 2021 lean hogs (pink high/low/close). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures close to unchanged

CME June lean hog futures fall

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures settled close to unchanged on Monday, with attempts at a bargain-buying rally fizzling out after hitting some key resistance points. Hog futures were lower, notching their third straight day of declines on a technical setback. Cattle futures had weakened along with corn futures to end […] Read more


Sweet clover is grown extensively for forage, but mould can create an anticoagulant in hay or silage.

Beware sweet clover poisoning during calving

As one producer discovered, sweet clover poisoning can trigger widespread hemorrhaging, especially during calving season

Pilgrim Winslow’s life had mainly been in the fast lane of oil exploration, successful businesses and high-level finance. He retired early and bought a half-section farm east of Regina. Winslow had built a small barn, a set of corrals and spent his days looking after 16 two-year-old Hereford heifers, bred to calve near the end […] Read more

CME August 2021 feeder cattle (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (dark red line) and August 2021 live cattle (pink line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle down, feeders up with corn

CME lean hog futures down

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures extended losses on Friday on long liquidation that also dragged down corn futures, analysts said. It was the second consecutive day that cattle futures followed declines in the Chicago Board of Trade corn market, which has retreated from eight-year highs reached last week. “Cattle got […] Read more