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

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures drop but declines limited

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures weakened on Wednesday, with profit taking noted as prices remained near multi-year highs hit during February. Strength in the cash market limited the declines. Hog futures also were weaker but the market remained underpinned by hopes that recent weakness in soybeans and corn will cut […] Read more

For heavier calves or mature animals, producers need to consider potential nutrient loss and cost when deciding whether to process oats for feeding.

Questions on the feeding value of oat grain

Nutrition with John McKinnon

Of the various cereal grains available for cattle feeding, the one I get the most questions about is oat. Typical questions relate to energy value, need for processing, nutritive value of light versus heavy oats, and pricing both relative to bushel weight and other cereal grains. As there seems to be a lot of interest […] Read more


Expiration day for CME’s February 2023 live cattle contract, with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures strong

Lean hog futures close mixed

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures ended firm on Tuesday, with the front-month contract hitting its highest in more than eight years as tight supplies continued to underpin the market. Hog futures ended mixed. Expectations for strong cash prices for the next few months due to tight supplies supported cattle futures. […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Calves jump on corn outlook

Softer barley values underpin yearling market

Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $5 to as much as $12 above week-ago levels. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis in the range of $332-$335 delivered, up $5-$8 from last week. Stronger fed cattle prices and softer barley values underpinned the yearling market. Buyers were finicky […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures dip on profit-taking

Chicago lean hog futures also fall

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures eased on Monday, with a mild round of profit-taking pulling prices from eight-year highs. But concerns about tight supplies limited the selling. Hog futures also were weaker, pressured by a government report that showed robust stocks of pork. Thinly traded February live cattle futures dipped […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle consolidate after hitting new contract high

Chicago lean hogs end lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures consolidated on Friday after setting a string on contract highs recently, while lean hog futures eased. The cattle market looks ripe for a correction after futures rose this month on tightening U.S. supplies, brokers said. However, cattle inventories look even smaller than expected as ranchers […] Read more

File photo of a migrating flock of snow geese in Canada. (Pchoui/iStock/Getty Images)

Flu experts gather with H5N1 risk on the agenda

Threat to humans from current strain seen as low

London | Reuters — The world’s leading experts on influenza met this week to discuss the threat posed to humans by a strain of H5N1 avian flu that has caused record numbers of bird deaths around the world in recent months. The group of scientists, regulators and vaccine manufacturers meets twice a year to decide […] Read more


(Olymel video screengrab via YouTube)

Sollio books deeper loss for 2022

Olymel's fresh pork business takes biggest hit

Domestic and international market-moving events have dragged hard on the year-end bottom line for Sollio Cooperative Group, particularly in its fresh pork business. Quebec-based Sollio — which operates the ag input and farm service business Sollio Agriculture, meat packer Olymel and hardware retailer BMR — on Thursday reported full-year revenues of $8.876 billion for its […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: CME cattle set high on Brazil halting beef exports to China

April hogs close lower, June up

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures reached a contract high on Thursday amid hopes that Chinese importers will buy more U.S. beef after rival supplier Brazil suspended shipments to China, analysts said. Brazil said it would halt beef exports to China, the main destination for its overseas shipments, after confirming a […] Read more