CME August 2023 feeder cattle with 30-, 40- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Feeder cattle rally as corn prices sag

Live cattle, lean hogs down

Chicago | Reuters — CME Group feeder cattle contracts rallied on Friday, their second day of gains, as weakening corn prices cut into feed costs and boosted profit margins at packers. Hog futures were weaker on follow-through selling after Thursday’s sharp decline. The August CME feeder cattle contract gained 3.275 cents, to 233.95 cents/lb., rising […] Read more


CME August 2023 live cattle with 10-, 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures rise, hogs fall

Feeder cattle back in Bollinger range

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle futures firmed on Thursday, rebounding from a sharp decline a day earlier on support from weakness in the corn market. Live cattle futures also closed higher but hog contracts weakened, extending a sell-off that started on Wednesday as traders said the market remained technically overbought. Analysts […] Read more

CME August 2023 feeder cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2; right scale) and CBOT September 2023 corn (orange line, left scale). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Feeder cattle down as corn extends rally

Hogs end lower off early gains

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle futures eased on Wednesday, with surging corn prices expected to boost feeding costs in the coming weeks, traders said. But live cattle contracts were close to unchanged. Hog futures fell from a nine-month high on a round of profit-taking, with the most-active August contract snapping a […] Read more


Olymel’s Drummondville, Que. bacon plant.(Drumco.ca)

Olymel bacon plant deal a ‘signal,’ union says

Deal ends three-week strike at Drummondville

Unionized workers at Olymel’s bacon processing plant at Drummondville, Que. have voted to accept a four-year deal, ending a three-week strike and serving as a “signal” to employers in the region, their union said. Olymel announced Friday that CSN-represented workers at the Bacon Inter-America facility, who’d been on strike since May 26, voted 93.6 per […] Read more

Photo: File

U.S. livestock: Hogs rally to nine-month high; cattle ease

Cattle futures weaker on seasonal slowdown and profit-taking round

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures rose to a nine-month high as a recent slowdown in the pace of slaughter limited the amount of retail supplies. Cattle futures were weaker on an expected seasonal slowdown and a round of profit-taking, traders said. CME July hogs jumped three cents to 95.85 cents per […] Read more


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

Canada retools inflation baskets with more focus on food, gas

Snowblowers and barbecues in, DVD players out

Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s national statistics agency on Tuesday revealed new weights for the basket of goods and services in its Consumer Price Index, giving more prominence to changes in the prices of food and gasoline. The reweighting, which Statistics Canada carries out every year, has historically had only a marginal impact on the […] Read more

(RyanJLane/E+/Getty Images)

Canada warns VCOOL would sabotage shared Canada-U.S. goals, supply chains

The Canadian government has submitted its views on proposed U.S. food labelling rules

Proposed U.S. country of origin labelling rules run contrary to mutual Canada and U.S. goals to reduce inflation, improve food security and build resilient supply chains, according to a submission from the Canadian government to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “One of the great strengths of the U.S.-Canada bilateral relationship is the successful integration of […] Read more


CME August 2023 live cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle up as beef prices climb

Chicago lean hogs close mixed

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange rose on Friday ahead of a long U.S. holiday weekend, supported by strong beef prices and profitable margins for beef packers, traders said. CME’s benchmark August live cattle contract settled up 0.65 cent at 171.725 cents/lb. (all figures US$). The U.S. Department of […] Read more

CME August 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle inch higher in technical bounce

Chicago lean hogs end mixed

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange closed modestly higher on Thursday on rising wholesale beef prices and a technical bounce after the benchmark August contract dipped to a two-week low. The cattle market has been consolidating after a surge to contract highs on June 7 triggered several days of […] Read more