File photo of a flock of sheep in eastern Idaho. (Samson1976/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. sheep herders’ suit alleges cartel-like wage suppression

Reuters –– Sheep herders in the U.S. West have banded together to sue their employers, accusing them of operating an illegal cartel that artificially suppresses their wages, according to court documents filed Wednesday in Nevada. The case could have implications for how antitrust laws are applied to labour markets, according to legal experts, as the […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle firm on strong demand

Lean hogs mixed near unchanged

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group live cattle futures firmed on Thursday, supported by steady cash prices across the U.S. Plains, as well as strength in consumer beef demand, despite inflationary forces, analysts said. “The feeling two, three weeks ago was that beef demand wasn’t that good and was going to really start […] Read more


CME July 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and CME lean hog index (pink line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs firm on summer demand, tight supplies

Lower corn futures support feeder cattle

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group lean hog futures firmed on Wednesday, supported by strong demand that has pushed cash prices higher. “We’re still looking at tighter supplies in front of us,” said Rich Nelson, chief strategist at Allendale Inc. Pork demand firms during the summer, with U.S. grilling holidays such as Father’s […] Read more

Farm Credit Canada is offering up to $2,000 in incentives to its customers who are CRSB-certified.

Farm Credit Canada offers incentives to its CRSB-certified customers

Farm Credit Canada (FCC) has announced an incentive program for producers who are certified through the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB). “How it works is if you are an FCC customer, and you are already certified, you’re eligible for the FCC incentive payment,” says Curtis Grainger, director of lending products and sustainability programs with […] Read more


CME July 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and dark red lines) and CME lean hog index (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog, cattle futures fall despite strong demand

Markets see 'a risk-off day'

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group lean hog futures fell on Tuesday, amid outside pressure from agricultural markets, despite strength from strong slaughter and cash hog prices. “We just had a risk-off day,” said Matthew Wiegand, Risk Management Consultant at FuturesOne. “Cash trade kicked up and is trading above the board.” The CME’s […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Steady demand supports feeder cattle prices

Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets were relatively unchanged. Weakness in deferred live cattle futures and uncertainty in the feed grain market tempered the upside for all weight categories of replacement cattle. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis in the range of $288-$290 delivered, steady to $2 lower […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures fall as feed costs rise

Pre-Memorial Day consolidation seen

Chicago | Reuters — CME Group hog and cattle futures eased on Friday, with rising soy and corn futures raising feed costs for livestock producers. Traders noted consolidation trade ahead of the U.S. Memorial Day holiday weekend. U.S. grain and livestock markets will be closed on Monday. The nearby June hogs contract fell 0.7 cent, […] Read more

CME June 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 40- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: June hogs touch four-week high

June, August live cattle futures up slightly

Chicago | Reuters — CME Group hog futures rose to their highest level in more than a month on Thursday, supported by strong exports and concerns about a slowing slaughter, traders said. Cattle futures ended the trading day close to unchanged. The U.S. Agriculture Department on Thursday morning said that export sales of pork totaled […] Read more


(Lauri Patterson/E+/Getty Images)

U.S. seeks another CUSMA dispute panel on Canadian dairy quotas

Canada announced revised policies last week

Ottawa | Reuters — The Biden administration is requesting that a second dispute settlement panel be formed under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) to review a trade dispute with Canada over dairy import quotas, it said on Wednesday. The U.S. alleges that Canada’s dairy tariff-rate quota allocations deny eligible U.S. applicants, including retailers, access to Canadian […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures weaken on cash market pressure

CME hog futures close mixed

Chicago | Reuters — CME Group cattle futures dipped on Wednesday, pressured by weakness in the cash markets, traders said. Hog futures were mixed, with prices closing well off their session highs after contracts hit technical resistance. The nearby June hogs contract rose 0.025 cent to 109.05 cents/lb., while most-active July futures fell 1.1 cents, […] Read more