CME December 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 30- and 50-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle, hog futures hit multi-week highs

November feeder cattle end lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog and live cattle futures rallied to multi-week highs on Monday. CME December lean hog futures rose 2.7 cents to settle at 84.95 cents/lb. (all figures US$). The contract peaked at 85.1 cents, its highest since Sept. 23, and rose above its 100-day and 200-day moving averages during […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feeder cattle prices, auction market volumes see ‘significant jump’

The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the October 2022 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Fed cattle The fed cattle market has continued its contra-seasonal move through the third quarter. Typically, larger fed cattle numbers with more days on feed are met with consumers pulling back as fall schedules commence along with the additional expenses that accompanying all hit at once. The third quarter has seen larger carcass weights and […] Read more


Electric fence allows producers to manage their land and cattle at the same time, says Garth Hein.

Electric fencing tips for fall and winter grazing

Industry reps share the ins and outs of using electric fence effectively and safely

Every year, winter grazing becomes more common as it is often considered more sustainable and can cut feed costs. In addition, producers may graze farmland after harvest for the same reason. However, these things can be tough to manage without electric fence, and when it comes to electric fence, producers need to know how to […] Read more

CME December 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 30- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures rise on good demand

Cattle futures mostly lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures climbed to a near three-week high on Friday as strong demand and improved pork packer margins sparked buying ahead of the weekend, traders said. Another solid week of pork export sales added support, soothing concerns about rising supplies of market-ready hogs, they said. “Demand is […] Read more


Assembling and transporting your cattle to a feedlot is only the first step in the overall management program.

The fall run has begun

Nutrition with John McKinnon

With the fall run starting, cattle feeders across the country are looking to fill empty pens. Typically, this involves purchasing yearlings off grass in September/October and then filling up with weaned calves later in the fall/early winter. Assembling and transporting these cattle to the feedlot, while critical from an economic perspective, is only the first […] Read more

CME December 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs mostly down on weak margins, inflation worries

Beef packer margins in negative territory

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle and hog futures ended mostly lower on Thursday on eroding meat packer margins and as soaring inflation raises demand concerns, traders said. Technical selling and profit-taking further fueled declines in livestock futures after live cattle and lean hog contracts touched 2-1/2-week highs this week. A U.S. Labor […] Read more


Cows that were stranded in a flooded barn at Abbotsford, B.C. are rescued on Nov. 16, 2021 by people in boats and on a jet-ski after rainstorms lashed the province, triggering landslides and floods and shutting highways. (File photo: Jennifer Gauthier/Reuters)

Drought-stricken B.C. bracing for floods when rains return

Reuters — British Columbia on Thursday warned residents to prepare for flooding when rains eventually return after a prolonged drought exacerbated by climate change that has raised concerns about long-term damage to ecosystems ranging from glaciers to salmon rivers. The usually rainy western province has experienced weeks of record-breaking warm fall temperatures and minimal precipitation […] Read more

Dave Pratt, past owner of Ranch Management Consultants, teaches a Ranching for Profit workshop at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in Penticton, B.C.

Ranching for Profit challenges paradigms

This business management course draws repeat customers from the ranching community

In 2014, Brett McRae was looking for mentorship as he worked to grow his ranch, located near Brandon, Man. He was picked as a mentee for the Canadian Cattle Young Leaders Mentorship Program and told his mentor what he was looking to do with his ranch and how he wanted to expand and change. His […] Read more


CME October 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle mostly up with consumption forecast

Chicago lean hogs also up on day

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures ended mostly firmer on Wednesday as wholesale beef prices stabilized after a recent slide and as a monthly government report helped to temper concerns about waning consumption. Gains were capped by eroding beef packer margins, although cattle demand is likely to remain high this week […] Read more

Barry Schmitt and his sons at Barr-Ag in Olds, Alberta, hosted delegates on an Al Dhara inbound trade mission this spring.

Sending hay abroad

Canada’s export forage market: trade missions, tips for producers and market trends

Canadian exporters say they’re receiving more overseas inquiries for high-quality forage. Last May, one inquiry led the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (CFGA) to organize a trade mission that brought representatives from Al Dahra Holding LLC, an Abu Dhabi-based agribusiness that trades three million tonnes of forage annually, to tour Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta.  Siju […] Read more