
Cow-calf

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle ease on softer cash markets
Trade watching for increased demand for hogs
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures eased on Friday, ending the week slightly lower as cash trade eased, though the cattle market continues to trade mostly sideways, analysts said. “The market’s basically saying — we’ve got stable trade right now for a couple months,” said Rich Nelson, chief strategist at Allendale […] Read more

Canadian Hereford Association honours members
Purely Purebred, news from the September 2023 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Congratulations to Frank and Andree McNeely, Stephanie and Rae Kopeechuk and Allan Marshall for being added to the Canadian Hereford Association Honour Roll. Frank and Andree McNeely started a purebred Hereford herd under Ottawa Valley Hereford Farms in 1974 near Navan, Ont. Alongside daughters Kerry and Jill, they showed cattle at numerous shows across Canada, […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle up ahead of long weekend
Lean hogs follow cash hog index lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures ticked upward Thursday, while packers backed off of buying ahead of the Labour Day holiday week that will limit slaughter, analysts said. “There was some light trade today, slightly lower than last week,” said Doug Houghton, technical analyst at Brock Capital Management. “I don’t know […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs climb as traders eye seasonal supply shifts
Cattle futures down ahead of long weekend
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures climbed on Wednesday, finding support as traders gauged pork demand and watched for signs of a seasonal influx of market-ready hogs. “We still have an index that’s higher than the October. It usually doesn’t close the gap until we get into September a week or […] Read more

Fed cattle prices strong, parched pastures accelerates yearling run
The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the September 2023 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Fed cattle Feedlot margins are positive while packer margins have started to struggle. As packers push back, carcass weights have grown, supplies have increased slightly and beef demand dipped lower during the extreme summer heat. All this has contributed to a seasonal reduction in fed cattle prices.. From the June price high of $247.84/cwt, prices […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle dip as traders weigh cash, consumer demand
Hog futures down on supply expectations
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures eased on Tuesday after four days of gains, as traders look for direction from consumer demand amid tight cattle supplies, analysts said. “I think we’ve been sideways for cattle now for over a month and, I guess until we see a change on the product […] Read more

Klassen: Calf numbers down in Western Canada
StatCan figures a surprise to the trade
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets were relatively unchanged. Yearlings straight off grass were very well bid and prices held value. Yearlings over 800 lbs. on light grain ration were quoted $15-$20 discount to those cattle coming straight off pasture. We’re seeing heavier calves around 800 lbs. trade at $330-$340. Increased calf numbers […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle up on consumer demand, tight supplies
Labour Day weekend demand also lifts hogs
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle futures gained on Monday, supported by consumer demand and continued tightening of available cattle, analysts said. “I think we probably did get a little help here from retail movement over the last week,” said Alan Brugler, president of Brugler Marketing, noting the Labour Day holiday is […] Read more

Backing the Bonsma principles in today’s beef industry
A look at how Jan Bonsma’s approach to selection is still influencing some ranchers
A look at how Jan Bonsma’s approach to selection is still influencing some ranchers
Over recent years, many commercial cattle operators have become somewhat disillusioned with the direction of certain segments of the beef seedstock industry. In their view, the common sense guideposts for the most useful animals have been directing them too close to the numbers-dominated terminal growth and carcass traits, often at the expense of maternal, reproductive […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle gain as heat impacts producers
Seasonal pressures drag on hog futures
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures gained on Friday as processors looked to incentivize market-ready cattle movement while producers struggled against high temperatures on the U.S. Plains, analysts said. “We saw packers willing to pay up to keep stuff moving. With the hot weather, you had probably reduced performance and a […] Read more