CME December 2020 live cattle with 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures rise on strong cash markets

U.S. packers seen dialing up slaughter pace

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle and lean hog futures advanced on Monday on expectations that cash prices will remain firm, analysts said. Cash cattle prices are expected to rise $1-$2/cwt this week as packers ramp up slaughtering, said Brian Hoops, president of broker Midwest Market Solutions (all figures US$). Fat cattle last week […] Read more

Sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies over the southern Pacific for the week centred on Sept, 30, 2020. (CPC.ncep.noaa.gov)

La Nina to bring colder, drier winter

MarketsFarm — There’s a La Nina poised to exert influence on the coming North American winter, according to Drew Lerner, senior agricultural meteorologist for World Weather Inc. in Kansas. A La Nina generates colder-than-normal temperatures, as opposed to the warm temperatures garnered from an El Nino. Both weather phenomenon can be found over the Pacific […] Read more


Comment: The edge

My appreciation for price discovery and other elements of ag markets began with a visit to the Chicago Board of Trade back in 2014. At that time, the futures markets had moved to electronic trading, but the corn options pit was still lively. I talked to several people who’d worked at or near the Board […] Read more

CME December 2020 live cattle with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures sag on fears for economy, beef demand

Firm cash hog values support hog futures

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange eased on Friday, following as global financial markets fell after U.S. President Donald Trump tested positive for the coronavirus, adding to investor uncertainty. Disappointing U.S. job growth numbers heightened worries about consumer demand for beef, at a time when retailers are starting to […] Read more



CME December 2020 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages and October 2020 live cattle (purple line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Nearby cattle futures lower on profit-taking

Chicago lean hogs end mixed

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed mixed on Thursday with nearby contracts drifting lower on profit-taking a day after the benchmark December contract touched a six-week high, analysts said. Commodity funds hold a net long position in Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle futures, leaving the market vulnerable to bouts of long […] Read more


Foot-and-mouth disease is regularly found in many parts of the world and threatens Canada’s livestock industry.

Much to learn about foot-and-mouth disease: Part 1

Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke

This article is the first of a series of three dealing with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and emergency planning. Through May and June of 2020, 88 veterinarians and registered animal health technologists from across Canada and the U.S. participated in a series of webinars dealing with the control of FMD. A panel of experts from the […] Read more

CME December 2020 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle up on beef demand, cash market optimism

Chicago hogs down on profit-taking

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures rose on Tuesday, with the December contract reaching its highest in a month on signs of strong demand for beef and expectations of firm cash cattle trade this week, analysts said. Also, commodity funds appeared to be adjusting positions ahead of the end of the month and […] Read more


Vaccines are an important part of a preventative herd health program, but they aren’t a silver bullet.

An(other) ounce of prevention

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

My first fire drill in Grade 1 was absolute chaos, screaming and panic as we all circled the teacher, who was likely wondering how our parents had managed to keep us alive this long. By Grade 3, we yawned and strolled to the nearest door. Fire drills teach kids what to do when there’s no […] Read more