CME April 2021 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle slide on end-month profit-taking

Firm pork prices support CME lean hogs

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed lower on Friday as traders booked profits at the end of the week and month, and as Wall Street equity markets declined, traders said. Lower-than-expected cash cattle trades added to bearish sentiment. Market-ready cattle traded in the cash market as high as $113/cwt, traders said, up […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Fed cattle supply interest picks up in new year

The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the February 2021 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Fed cattle The start of fed cattle trading in 2021 saw active interest in supply with prices higher than year-end. The backlog from the spring of 2020 appears to have been cleaned up and packers are looking to secure additional inventory. The first weekly average reported in 2021 was $145.53/cwt. This was $1.16/cwt higher than […] Read more


CME February 2021 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle end narrowly mixed

Hogs also mixed, feeder cattle mostly lower

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed narrowly mixed on Thursday, with the benchmark April contract inching higher as strong wholesale beef prices continued to support the market, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange April live cattle settled up 0.075 cent at 122.7 cents/lb. (all figures US$). But front-month February futures ended lower, down […] Read more

Simmental tags a hit with producers

Simmental tags a hit with producers

Purely Purebred: News from the January 2021 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

The Canadian Simmental Association is pleased to announce that the CCIA tag sales with the blue Simmental back button have now exceeded 60,000 tags since they became available in April 2017. The tags are available for ordering through the CCIA website.


CME April 2021 live cattle with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle, lean hogs end lower on profit-taking

March feeder cattle also lower

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures fell on Wednesday in a light profit-taking setback following a four-session climb, and on spillover weakness from declines in Wall Street equity markets, traders said. However, continued strength in wholesale beef prices and expectations of higher cash cattle prices this week underpinned the market. Chicago Mercantile Exchange […] Read more

A 2019 report highlighted a few tweaks to common calving management practices that could significantly improve calf survival from difficult births.

Get ’em out, get ’em up, get ’em fed, write ’em down…Rawhide!

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

It’s called calving difficulty for a reason. They’re difficult to deliver, it’s difficult for the calf to survive, it’s difficult to watch it die, and it’s difficult to lose the $1,250 the calf could have sold for in the fall. The Beef Cattle Research Council’s 2019 Adoption Rates of Recommended Practices by Cow-Calf Operators in […] Read more


CME June 2021 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Rising beef prices buoy CME live cattle futures

Colder spell in U.S. Midwest, Plains lifts hogs

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures rose on Tuesday for a fourth straight session, with deferred months setting life-of-contract highs as robust demand for beef lifted packer profit margins and bolstered demand for market-ready cattle, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange April live cattle futures settled up 0.15 cent at 123.1 cents/lb., while June […] Read more



CME April 2021 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle end firm, led by rising beef prices

Lean hog futures edge higher

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed higher on Monday as support from strong wholesale beef prices and expectations of firm cash cattle prices overshadowed pressure from bearish data in a monthly cattle report released late Friday, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange April live cattle futures settled up 0.425 cent at 122.95 cents/lb. […] Read more

“The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.” – Aristotle.

Mind-blowing moments

From the Ground Up with Steve Kenyon

I have been asked numerous times, “Where did you get your education from?” My response is always, “Academia does not have a monopoly on knowledge.” Just to clear the air, I do not have a university degree, but here I am, teaching about agriculture. My working knowledge on regenerative agriculture has come from the hundreds […] Read more