(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Quality features influence feeder cattle prices

Western Canadian yearling markets have traded in a sideways range over the past couple of weeks; major feedlot operators have been aggressive for 800-pound-plus feeders just off grass because these cattle are most efficient and therefore, most profitable. Grass yearlings were quoted steady to as much as $5 higher this past week. Backgrounded yearlings were […] Read more

CBOT November 2020 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy lower as harvest pressure overshadows buying

Egypt buys Russian wheat at international tender

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures ended lower on Tuesday, retreating from early strength as pressure from the expanding U.S. harvest outweighed support from continued soy sales to China and strength in soymeal futures, traders said. Corn futures drifted lower on strong U.S. crop ratings and promising Midwest harvest weather, but wheat gained on […] Read more


CME October 2020 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures gain on export optimism

CME cattle down ahead of USDA report

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures markets climbed on Tuesday on optimism over China’s continued purchases of U.S. grains, traders said. Exporters sold 266,000 tonnes of U.S. soybeans to China and 264,000 tonnes to unknown destinations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported on Tuesday, marking the 13th consecutive business day of sales to […] Read more

Charles Baron and partners brought FBN to Canada in 2017, buying Saskatchewan-based Yorkton Distributors. (FBN video screengrab via YouTube)

FBN cuts yearly membership fee to zero

Ag e-commerce firm offers free accounts to farmers

E-marketplace Farmers Business Network (FBN) has disposed of the annual membership fee that allowed members access to its various buying groups and services. California-based FBN, which has operated in the U.S. since 2014 and expanded to Canada in 2017, announced Tuesday (Sept. 15) its farmer members may now have “access to a select range of […] Read more


Gerald Grand, a staff member at Agolin, a Swiss maker of feed additives based on botanical compounds, works on a mixture of components at Biere, Switzerland on Sept. 26, 2018. (Photo: Reuters/Denis Balibouse)

More food companies aim to wrangle cattle emissions

Nestle, Barry Callebaut trying out feed additives

Winnipeg | Reuters — Looking to improve milk production, California farmer John Verwey turned to a Swiss-made feed additive designed to make a cow more efficient while reducing methane emissions from cattle burps. The more a cow belches, the more it spends energy that could be used instead for milk production, Verwey reasoned. So two […] Read more

CBOT December 2020 wheat with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat, soy, corn fall sharply on fund selling

'It is basically risk-off across the board'

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean, corn and wheat futures plunged on Monday as concerns about fresh coronavirus-driven lockdowns due to rising global case counts sparked a wave of risk-off trades. The grains, led by a 3.7 per cent drop in wheat that marked its biggest daily percentage decline since August 2019, […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures fall with other commodities

Traders watching Germany's swine fever findings

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle and hog futures markets fell on Monday, following a broad-based commodity sell-off in the absence of any fresh bullish news, traders said. “It is just kind of risk-off trade,” said Matthew Wiegand, broker at FuturesOne. “Livestock was for the most part happy to follow along.” Chicago Mercantile Exchange October […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures end up on firm cash trade

Lean hog futures close mixed

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed modestly higher on Friday, supported by strength in cash cattle markets this week, but uncertainty about beef demand in the coming months capped rallies, analysts said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange October live cattle futures settled up 0.575 cent at 107.35 cents/lb. and December rose 0.525 cent to […] Read more