CME February 2023 lean hogs with 20-day moving average (pink line) and CME cash lean hog index (purple line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs drop as pork cutout sinks to near two-year low

Cattle futures also follow beef values lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell on Wednesday for the ninth time in 10 sessions as weak cash hog prices and lower pork values dragged the market to a fresh three-month low, traders said. Pork packer margins have eroded and the closely followed cash wholesale pork cutout value fell on […] Read more

CME February 2023 lean hogs with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs sink to three-month low on weak pork prices

Live cattle steady to higher

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell on Tuesday for the eighth time in nine sessions on concerns about pork demand and slumping pork prices, traders said. The actively traded February lean hog contract dropped to a three-month low as packer margins eroded and the pork cutout price slid to the […] Read more


Anchor D Garren’s Krush 524K.

News from the Canadian Simmental Association

Purely Purebred, news from the January 2023 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Friends of Canadian Simmental Foundation scholarships valued at $3,000 each, were awarded to Ariel Wilcox of Treherne, Man., and Brodyn LaBatte of Gladmar, Sask. Wilcox is currently enrolled at the University of Manitoba to obtain her master’s degree of nursing and LaBatte is attending Olds College in Alberta, taking agriculture management with a major production.  […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market looks upward

Quality of available cattle contributes to volatility

Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were quite variable. Compared to three weeks ago, Alberta prices were steady to $2/cwt higher while in Saskatchewan, prices were $8-$10/cwt higher on average with lighter-weight cattle jumping as much as $15. For example, in central Alberta, higher-quality 800-lb. steers were trading from $230 to $235 and 600-pounders were valued […] Read more


CME February 2023 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs up off three-month low on bargain buying

Chicago cattle futures also gain

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures bounced from a three-month low on Monday and settled higher for the first time in eight sessions in a technical and bargain-buying rally to start the first full trading week of the year. Cattle futures also gained on improved packer demand following recent weeks of […] Read more

CME February 2023 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs extend slide to three-month low

Cattle also lower; "no urgency in this market right now"

Chicago | Reuters — CME lean hog futures sank to a three-month low and closed weaker for the seventh consecutive session on Friday on concerns about weak demand, brokers said. An increase in hog weights also hung over the market, after recent winter storms delayed processing and backed up livestock on farms, brokers said. Pork […] Read more


Characteristics of the cattle market

Characteristics of the cattle market

Market Talk with Jerry Klassen

Every year, I am a guest lecturer to a third-year agriculture economics class at the University of Manitoba. During the lecture, I provide an overview of the fed cattle market. More recently, I was having a discussion with feedlot operators, and they asked about the key to successful marketing and profitability for the feedlot operator. […] Read more

CME February 2023 lean hogs with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs touch three-week low

Most live cattle futures settle lower

Chicago | Reuters — CME lean hog futures set a three-week low on Thursday, under pressure from losses in broader markets and following recent weakness in cash hog prices, analysts said. Feeder cattle futures also ended lower as the market pulled back one day after hitting a September high. Livestock markets took signals from a […] Read more


CME February 2023 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs weaken, cattle rise as winter storms hit

Hogs touch lowest since Dec. 16

Chicago | Reuters — CME lean hog futures fell to their lowest price in more than two weeks on Wednesday and live cattle futures strengthened as snowstorms continued to disrupt livestock operations. Feeder cattle futures reached their highest price since September. Wintry weather in the northern U.S. Plains has delayed livestock shipments, reduced cattle weights […] Read more

Close-up of a McDonald’s double Quarter Pounder with bacon. (Corporate.mcdonalds.com)

McDonald’s reported set to exit Kazakhstan on Russia war spillover

Reuters — McDonald’s Corp. is set to abandon Kazakhstan as disruptions triggered by the Ukraine crisis have left the nation without a substitute for Russian meat supplies, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The fast-food giant, which exited Russia in May, banned its local franchisee from procuring meat patties from Russian […] Read more