CME October 2020 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures gain on export optimism

CME cattle down ahead of USDA report

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures markets climbed on Tuesday on optimism over China’s continued purchases of U.S. grains, traders said. Exporters sold 266,000 tonnes of U.S. soybeans to China and 264,000 tonnes to unknown destinations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported on Tuesday, marking the 13th consecutive business day of sales to […] Read more

Gerald Grand, a staff member at Agolin, a Swiss maker of feed additives based on botanical compounds, works on a mixture of components at Biere, Switzerland on Sept. 26, 2018. (Photo: Reuters/Denis Balibouse)

More food companies aim to wrangle cattle emissions

Nestle, Barry Callebaut trying out feed additives

Winnipeg | Reuters — Looking to improve milk production, California farmer John Verwey turned to a Swiss-made feed additive designed to make a cow more efficient while reducing methane emissions from cattle burps. The more a cow belches, the more it spends energy that could be used instead for milk production, Verwey reasoned. So two […] Read more


CME December 2020 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures fall with other commodities

Traders watching Germany's swine fever findings

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle and hog futures markets fell on Monday, following a broad-based commodity sell-off in the absence of any fresh bullish news, traders said. “It is just kind of risk-off trade,” said Matthew Wiegand, broker at FuturesOne. “Livestock was for the most part happy to follow along.” Chicago Mercantile Exchange October […] Read more

Cattle prices hold mostly steady

Cattle prices hold mostly steady

The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the September 28, 2020 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Fed cattle Good demand, strong cut-out value, steady kill rates and good retail featuring have contributed to mostly steady prices throughout the summer months. However, the start of September brought a seasonally lower move in the cash fed cattle market. Typically, larger front-end supplies lead to longer packer lift times and larger carcass weights. This […] Read more


Setting a calf on a healthy path to the feedlot starts with the cow, says Dr. Greg Dimmers.

Feedlot health starts with the cow

While the industry has gotten better at managing disease, cow-calf producers can reduce even more health issues in feedlot cattle

Some of the biggest health challenges in finishing cattle can be minimized or even prevented long before the animals arrive at the feedlot. In fact, calves can be set on a path to better health before birth, according to veterinarian Dr. Greg Dimmers of Metzger Veterinary Services in Linwood, Ont., to help address what he […] Read more

CME December 2020 live cattle with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures end up on firm cash trade

Lean hog futures close mixed

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed modestly higher on Friday, supported by strength in cash cattle markets this week, but uncertainty about beef demand in the coming months capped rallies, analysts said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange October live cattle futures settled up 0.575 cent at 107.35 cents/lb. and December rose 0.525 cent to […] Read more


CME October 2020 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs up on another swine fever case in Germany

Cash cattle values firming

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures rose on Thursday as Germany confirmed one more case of African swine fever in a wild boar, fueling market hopes that China will boost U.S. pork imports. The new case follows six others confirmed in wild boars, not farm animals, in the past week. While no farm animals […] Read more

CME December 2020 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hog futures fall as China’s hog herd rebounds

CME December live cattle rise

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. livestock futures fell on Wednesday, as the futures market continues to cool in the wake of last week’s rally and on news that the size of China’s hog herd is quickly growing. Hog futures soared last week after Germany reported its first case of African swine fever (ASF) and China […] Read more


Kraft’s Canadian grated cheese lines are among the businesses going to Lactalis for US$3.2 billion. (KraftWhatsCooking.ca)

Kraft Heinz to sell several cheese businesses to Lactalis

Canadian grated cheese lines among assets going for US$3.2 billion

Chicago | Reuters — Kraft Heinz said on Tuesday that it will sell several of its cheese businesses to a U.S. affiliate of France’s Groupe Lactalis for US$3.2 billion. After weak sales results and several billion-dollar writedowns over the past two years, there has been market speculation about which categories Kraft Heinz will offload from […] Read more

In February, veterinarians and industry staff travelled to Uganda to learn more about FMD and how to identify and contain it. Uganda has struggled with FMD for decades.

Preparing for a foot-and-mouth outbreak

Outbreak planning resources, training opportunities and the establishment of a Canadian vaccine bank all in the works to help the cattle industry prevent or respond to the disease

It’s a nightmare no livestock producer wants to experience; watching as your entire herd is put down. The devastation is written across the hardened faces of the farmers featured in a National Film Board of Canada documentary on the 1952 foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in southern Saskatchewan. The emotional toll of your cattle becoming infected […] Read more