
Livestock

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures firm, tight supplies underpin
Hogs up off 13-month lows
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures firmed on Wednesday, supported by tightening cattle supplies and strong cash trade that continue to push front-month futures to near eight-year highs. “The cash price outlook right now is very firm,” said Doug Houghton, technical analyst at Brock Capital Management. “The overall supply outlook is for […] Read more

Alberta ranching family teaches cattle to forage through snow
Roxanne and Kevin Ziola transitioned their operation from a mixed farm to a grass-fed ranch, where winter grazing is a key part of their production
A panel of three producers sits at the front of a room filled to bursting with farmers and professionals in the industry. It’s a chilly day in December in Edmonton, Alta., at the Western Canada Soil Health and Grazing Conference, but these producers don’t mind the cold — in fact, they often use it to […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures ease off highest since 2015
Hogs up off lowest since late 2021
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures fell on Tuesday, snapping an 11-session streak of gains on a profit-taking setback after hitting their highest in more than seven years. Some signs of weakness in the cash markets and concerns about profit margins added pressure. Hog futures were firmer after hitting their lowest in […] Read more

Klassen: Larger supplies of backgrounded cattle weigh on feeder complex
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded steady to $3 lower. Calf prices were quoted $5 lower to $3 higher. Backgrounded cattle appeared to have a softer tone as more numbers come on the market. Usually, the bulk of the volume for backgrounded cattle are animals over 850 lbs. However, this year, the […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures extend winning streak
Front-month live cattle, feeders hit highest since 2015; lean hogs down
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures rose for the 11th session in a row on Monday, hitting their highest in more than seven years as tight supplies continued to fuel a rally. Strength in the cash market added to the gains in cattle futures. But surplus supplies weighed on the hog markets, […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME cattle climb as smaller U.S. herd attracts spec buyers
Chicago lean hogs close mostly higher
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures set life-of-contract highs on Friday as a government report this week showing reduced U.S. cattle supplies continued to inspire speculative buying, traders said. A seasonal slide in wholesale beef prices capped rallies. But traders remained fixated on longer-term supplies after the U.S. Department of Agriculture […] Read more

Alberta poultry sector gets late entry for AgriStability
Participation deadline extended to end of month
In the wake of avian influenza outbreaks in the region, Alberta poultry producers have been granted a late participation option to sign up for the federal/provincial AgriStability income stabilization program. Provincial Ag Minister Nate Horner on Wednesday announced the two levels of government have reached an agreement to allow poultry producers late participation in AgriStability […] Read more

Olymel to shut two pork processing plants
Triomphe ham, deli meat plants to close in late April
Meat packer Olymel is set to close a chapter in its acquisition history when it shuts down two Montreal-area pork further-processing plants it bought five years ago. Olymel, a division of ag co-operative Sollio, announced Wednesday it will close the former Aliments Triomphe plant at Blainville and its sister plant about 18 km southeast at […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures ease off contract highs
Chicago lean hog values retreat
Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange closed lower on Wednesday as traders booked profits, one day after the benchmark April contract set a life-of-contract high and the U.S. Agriculture Department reported a three per cent year-on-year drop in the size of the U.S. cattle herd. CME April live cattle […] Read more

Beef consumption to rise in China, JBS predicts
China seen as more competitive in domestic chicken, pork markets
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Demand for beef in China is expected to rise as the country still has relatively low per capita consumption, Gilberto Tomazoni, chief executive of JBS SA, said on Wednesday during a business conference. He said Brazil and the U.S., where JBS has meat facilities, are well positioned to meet China’s […] Read more