CME October 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, purple and dark red lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle up on export demand

CME lean hog futures mixed

Chicago | Reuters — CME cattle futures firmed on Thursday, supported by strong export demand for U.S. supplies, traders said. Hog futures were narrowly mixed, with the nearby contract firm on good weekly exports while deferreds eased on technical selling. CME August lean hog futures gained 0.075 cents to 106.65 cents/lb., while most-active October dipped […] Read more

Chrystia Freeland takes part in a news conference at the Canadian embassy in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 31, 2018. (Photo: Reuters/Chris Wattie)

Farm transfer tax treatment bill now law, feds say

Government to add amendments against tax loopholes

Despite a previous statement from her ministry, Canada’s finance minister says a bill standardizing the tax treatment of farm transfers is now officially on the books. However, while Bill C-208 is now in federal tax law, further amendments are en route to plug legal loopholes the bill may have opened. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on […] Read more





CME October lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (pink line), CME lean hog index (black line), CME August 2021 lean hogs (brown O/H/L/C) and CME October 2021 live cattle (dark red line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs firm on strong pork demand

October live cattle follow beef prices lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures gained on Tuesday on short-covering and continued firmness in the wholesale pork market, traders said. “August seems like its anchored by what’s going on in the cutout,” said Altin Kalo, economist at Steiner Consulting Group. “They’ve been surprised by the strength in the pork cutout.” […] Read more

CME August 2021 feeder cattle (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle firm on tighter supplies

October hogs down on supply expectations

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle futures climbed on Monday, as supplies tightened in the northern U.S. Plains, traders said. “You’ve got a lot of empty yards,” said Scott Varilek, broker at Kooima Kooima Varilek Trading Inc. “We don’t have a lot of large supplies, large runs. You’re going to have to […] Read more


File photo of the produce section at a Canadian grocery store. (FatCamera/E+/Getty Images)

Industry-led code of conduct for food retailers on horizon

Fees create 'uncertainty' for producers, processors

A report from a federal-provincial working group says the retail sector has levied an increasing number of fees on suppliers, and is proposing the formation of a code of conduct as a potential solution. Canada’s agriculture ministers are now calling on industry to lead the process. They had formed the working group to study the […] Read more

CME October 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Firm cash markets lift hog futures

Cattle futures extend slide

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures closed higher on Friday as firm U.S. cash markets and rising pork prices underscored tight hog supplies, analysts said. News of the first confirmed cases of African swine fever in farmed pigs in Germany added support, raising uncertainty about pork export flows. However, exports of […] Read more


File photo of the flags of Canada and its provinces and territories at Canada Place in Vancouver. (lilly3/iStock/Getty Images)

Request line open for AgriRecovery drought plans, Bibeau says

Formal ask needed to trigger process: ag minister

Canada’s federal agriculture minister says the government is “ready to receive formal submissions” from provinces for AgriRecovery plans to help Prairie farmers and ranchers up against significant droughts this summer. Marie-Claude Bibeau, summarizing discussions from Thursday’s online meeting with provincial and territorial (FPT) agriculture ministers, said the formal requests “are needed to trigger the process,” […] Read more

CME August 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and October 2021 live cattle (dark red line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle drift lower

Lean hog futures end mixed

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures drifted lower on Thursday in lacklustre trade, with disappointing weekly export sales data and softening wholesale beef cutout prices adding pressure, analysts said. “The fact that the cutout on beef has been drifting lower just doesn’t give the market a lot of confidence that packers […] Read more