(File photo)

U.S. Livestock: cattle futures fall after hitting record high

Export sales of beef rose to 20,900 metric tons in the week ended July 13: USDA

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rose to all-time highs on Thursday, with signs of strong export demand and good sales on the cash market supporting prices, traders said. But cattle prices closed lower on a round of profit-taking as traders took money off the table ahead of key government supply reports […] Read more

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Activists target Ontario hog farm with ransomware

'We are dealing with adversaries whose motivation is not money'

A ransomware on a small Ontario hog business is something a cybersecurity expert says needs more attention from the agriculture industry. Instead of cash, the attackers demanded the hog business owners publicly admit to what they alleged to be livestock mistreatment. The occurrence was unique and alarming, says Ali Dehghantanha, Canada research chair in cybersecurity […] Read more


Photo: Canada Beef Inc.

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle firm; remain near recent highs

A lack of fresh fundamental inputs limited the gains

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle edged higher on Wednesday, with tight U.S. supplies keeping prices near contract highs. A lack of fresh fundamental inputs limited the gains. August live cattle futures LCQ3 settled up 0.05 cent at 181.325 cents per pound, ending just below the contract high of 181.875 cents it set […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

US Livestock: live cattle rise on limited US supply, strong cash prices

Analysts suggest high prices, tight supply may drive meatpackers to cut hours

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures extended gains on Tuesday on worries over limited U.S. supplies. Recent strength in cash prices for cattle helped to support futures, analysts said, after ranchers shrank their herds due to drought and high feed costs. Analysts said there is chatter in the market that high […] Read more


Photo: Canada Beef Inc.

Klassen: Feeder market continues climb

Futures spur larger feedlots to lock in ownership

Compared to last week, quality yearling packages traded $6-$10/cwt higher. In some cases, prices were up as much as $12/cwt. Calf markets were relatively unchanged although the market was hard to defined due to limited volumes. Pastures are drying up in Saskatchewan and certain area of eastern Alberta. Yearlings from these regions are coming on […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: CME August live cattle touch new high

Hogs lower as China books higher pork output

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures set a new high in the front-month contract on Monday on technical buying and concerns over tightening U.S. supplies, analysts said. August live cattle reached its life-of-contract high of 181.6 cents/lb. before retreating to settle 0.05 cent lower at 180.125 cents/lb. (all figures US$). October […] Read more


CME August 2023 live cattle with 20- and 50-day moving averages and October 2023 live cattle (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle turn higher

Chicago lean hog futures mixed

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures turned higher on Friday amid a flurry of technical trading, even as beef prices continued to see a seasonal downturn, traders said. Cash cattle market trades this week continued to be down $2-$3 per hundredweight (cwt), traders said (all figures US$). The U.S. Department of […] Read more

Good demand for beef, particularly grilling cuts, continued through the second quarter of 2023.

Good demand for beef, though retail prices see slight decrease

The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the August 2023 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Fed cattle In the 26 weeks of recorded sales in 2023, 23 of the weeks saw week-over-week improvements. The peak was the third week of June at $247.84/cwt, which was a $61.80/cwt improvement from the start of 2023 and 41 per cent higher than the same week in June 2022. The start of July saw […] Read more


This file photo shows a rack of blood samples being tested for bovine tuberculosis in New Zealand dairy cattle. (Lakeview_Images/iStock/Getty Images)

More bovine TB cases found in Saskatchewan herd

Herd now depopulated, one separate contact herd identified

Corrected, July 14 — Postmortem testing of a Saskatchewan cattle herd culled after turning up three confirmed cases of bovine tuberculosis (TB) has yielded six more cases. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), which is tasked with testing the infected herd, said Thursday that as of July 12, a total of eight cases of bovine […] Read more

CME August 2023 lean hogs with 20- and 50-day moving averages and CME cash lean hog index (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hog futures gain as pork prices rise

Cattle futures end mixed

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures ended higher on Thursday, buoyed by rising wholesale pork prices and firm cash hog values, traders said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) quoted the wholesale pork carcass cutout at $110.90 per hundredweight (cwt), up 24 cents from Wednesday, and pork bellies rose $17.08, to […] Read more