(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Active fund selloff extends CME live cattle losses

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle fell for a seventh straight session on Wednesday as funds liquidated positions in association with their yearly rebalancing of commodities, traders said. Funds involved in CME’s livestock markets that follow the Standard + Poor’s Goldman Sachs Commodity Index (S+P GSCI) sold, or “rolled,” their February long […] Read more

farm family on horseback

Have a restful calving season

The Ross family planned for one

Calving is the year-round focus on Chad and Crystal Ross’s 800-head cow-calf operation, but when calving season actually rolls around it’s the cows’ turn to do the work. The idea of letting cows calve on their own wouldn’t have entered their minds back in 1999 when they set up their place on the Ross L-7 […] Read more


(CMEGroup.com)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle tumble on more fund liquidation

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle posted heavy losses on Tuesday after funds kept selling February long contracts while simultaneously rolling them into back months, traders said. Funds involved in CME’s livestock markets that follow the Standard + Poor’s Goldman Sachs Commodity Index (S+P GSCI) shifted their February positions in a procedure […] Read more



(CMEGroup.com)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs slump to two-year low as funds roll positions

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs sank to a two-year bottom on Monday as funds kept selling February contracts and rolling their long positions into back months, traders said. Funds involved in CME’s livestock markets that follow the Standard + Poor’s Goldman Sachs Commodity Index (S+P GSCI) shifted their February positions in […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Holidays leave feeder cattle market undefined

Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were undefined this past week as most auction markets remained on holidays or had limited volumes. Cow-calf producers were not anxious to market calves with adverse temperatures across the Prairies and news of stronger U.S. prices confirmed waiting another week would pay off. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported feeder […] Read more


cattle in a feedlot

Weighty matters for feeder cattle

The live cattle market’s performance this year on both sides of the border has been remarkable in many respects. Who would have imagined that U.S. packers would pay $170 per cwt for cattle. After all, half that was a pretty good price not that long ago. That price is likely to be the top for […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: More fund sales drop CME live cattle limit-down

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle nearby trading months closed down their three-cents-per-pound price limit on Friday, pressured by persistent fund liquidation as part of their yearly rebalancing of commodity allocations. Live cattle February and April closed at 160.6 cents and 159.425 cents, respectively (all figures US$). CME live cattle trading limits […] Read more



(Regis Lefebure photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs near two-year low in active fund selloff

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs on Thursday sank to their lowest level since March 2013 on liquidation by funds as part of their annual rebalancing of commodity positions, traders said. Funds trading in CME’s lean hogs and live cattle markets simultaneously sold February long positions and bought back months in a […] Read more