Photo: ARS/USDA

U.S. livestock: Hog futures fall as soy prices rally

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures fell on Tuesday, with strength in the soymeal market raising the prospects of increased feeding costs. Feeder cattle contracts were also weaker due to strong corn prices while live cattle edged higher on light technical buying. CME October lean hogs LHV2 fell 1.075 cents to 92.9 cents per […] Read more



Retaining ownership of livestock in a feedlot, and marketing from there, is one choice that falls into the “place” category of marketing.

Don’t leave money on the table when marketing cattle

Remember the pillars of marketing when selling cattle: time, form and place

Marketing cattle from your ranch is dependent on the pillars of marketing that we learn in ag marketing classes at many of our universities — time, form and place. Market reports and information help us choose the time of marketing. We can choose the time to negotiate or take a price and a time to […] Read more



A meat display at a grocery store.

Show us the money, Part 1: What does the producer share of the retail beef dollar mean?

When looking at the farmer share of the retail dollar, we must recognize that U.S. prices still dominate the price structures of both our cow-calf and feedlot sectors

A common concern in agricultural circles is what proportion or percentage of the price of a litre of milk, a loaf of bread or a beef steak makes its way back to the producer. I have written and spoken about this before, but I cannot do so again without first admitting that I have sometimes […] Read more

Brazilian meatpacker JBS SA’s logo on a tower in Jundiai, northwest of Sao Paulo in southeastern Brazil, on June 1, 2017. (File photo: Reuters/Paulo Whitaker)

JBS quarterly profit falls almost 10 per cent but tops estimates

Cattle prices 'above the expected level'

Sao Paulo | Reuters — JBS, the world’s largest meatpacker, posted an almost 10 per cent drop in net profits, to US$766 million, driven by the relative weakness of its U.S. beef and pork units in the second quarter, according to an earnings statement on Thursday. Still, it beat analysts’ forecasts. JBS reported a 4.6 […] Read more


The sunflower’s deep tap roots allow it to pull moisture from deep within the soil, even during times of drought.

Sunflowers help cover crops thrive during drought

As cover cropping gains interest, producers are looking at different types of plants that might work well to produce a diverse crop for grazing. Because nature doesn’t favour monocrops, cover crops and intercrops are more resistant to drought-like conditions, cover cropping proponent say. With a drought that persisted through 2020, 2021, and into 2022 in […] Read more



Photo: File

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures firm

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile exchange live cattle futures firmed to their highest in more than three months on Friday, while hog futures edged back toward the 13-1/2-month high hit on Wednesday. CME August live cattle futures LCQ2 settled 0.175 cent higher at 137.875 cents per lb, with the front-month contract LCc1 hitting its highest since April 29 during the […] Read more

Photo: emholk/iStock/Getty Images

U.S. livestock markets: Live cattle futures little changed after Wednesday high

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures eased slightly on Thursday, after rising to their highest in more than three months on Wednesday. CME August live cattle futures LCQ2 settled 0.2 cents lower at 137.7 cents per lb and most-active October LCV2 also ended slightly lower than Wednesday at 143.7 cents. September feeder cattle futures FCU2 were little […] Read more