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

U.S. livestock: Cattle rise on economic optimism, discount to cash prices

U.S.-China tensions keep hogs in check

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures rallied for a second straight day on Wednesday as easing coronavirus restrictions around the country bolstered optimism about the outlook for the economy and beef demand. U.S. stocks rose, with the S+P 500 closing above 3,000 for the first time since March 5, as further easing of lockdowns […] Read more

The Dycks funnel cows and calves down an alley to a split, where calves go under a half-gate.

Bringing water and cattle together

This ranching family has created water hubs in their pastures to support rotational grazing

Sometimes a western Canadian rancher is faced with two things that just don’t seem to mesh or come together. It can become an “If the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go the mountain” type of scenario. For Perry Dyck, owner and operator of Triangle D Land and Cattle Ltd. of Hanley, […] Read more


CME August 2020 feeder cattle with 10-, 20- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures follow equities higher

August feeder cattle close limit-up

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle and hog futures rallied on Tuesday in tandem with rising stock markets as optimism about developing coronavirus vaccines and the revival of business activity buoyed livestock markets battered by the coronavirus pandemic. Supportive cattle and meat supply data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture late last week showing accelerated […] Read more

A woman herds cattle near Livingston, Montana. Market research shows that building on the credibility ranchers already hold is crucial to increasing consumer confidence.

Market research reveals opportunity to educate U.S. beef consumers

Building on the public’s trust in farmers and ranchers key to communicating humane treatment of animals and increasing consumer confidence

Now more than ever, consumers are indicating they care about animal welfare in livestock production. However, the average consumer has little knowledge of beef production. In the United States, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) conducted focus groups as part of its market research to understand what consumers believe about beef production. Participants who considered […] Read more



Weekly slaughter levels lowest in decades

Weekly slaughter levels lowest in decades

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

Fed cattle This spring, weekly slaughter levels were nearly 60 per cent lower than a year ago and the lowest recorded since 1973. From mid-March to the first week of May, the cash market dropped $50.56/cwt to reach a low of $107.00/cwt. Although volumes are light, losses on cattle sold into this lower-cash market are […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: Live and feeder cattle futures slip

Thursday's cold storage data seen as disappointing

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live and feeder cattle futures closed lower on Friday after disappointing cold storage data the previous day and ahead of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s cattle on feed report in the afternoon. Lean hog futures also dropped, as backups continue at slaughter facilities, traders said. The nearby CME live cattle […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: Hogs, live cattle gain against cash markets

Cold storage meat supplies down slightly, USDA says

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live hog futures gained on Thursday on short-covering as contracts strengthened against cash markets, traders said. CME live cattle futures firmed, while feeder cattle dipped ahead of Friday’s U.S. Department of Agriculture cattle on feed report. The nearby CME June lean hogs gained 2.475 cents, to 59.35 cents/lb., while the […] Read more


(JBSFoodCanada.ca)

JBS resumes second shift at Alberta beef plant

Out of 650 COVID cases at plant, 11 are 'active'

Meat giant JBS’s Alberta beef packing plant has resumed two daily shifts as of Thursday, as fewer than a dozen of its 2,600-plus employees are now sidelined by COVID-19. The JBS plant at Brooks, about 170 km east of Calgary, is “slowly returning to two shifts as of today,” the company said Thursday in a […] Read more

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue holds a U.S. flag-themed face mask while speaking about the U.S. food supply chain as President Donald Trump listens during a COVID-19 pandemic response event at the White House on May 19, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Leah Millis)

President’s cattle call finds expected marks in U.S.

Trump suggests killing trade pacts with unnamed cattle-exporting nations

U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks Tuesday about imports of live cattle into the United States resonated predictably among that country’s various cattle producer groups. At a White House event Tuesday, flanked by U.S. farm and ranch leaders and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue for a multi-billion-dollar COVID-19-related farm aid announcement, Trump said he “read yesterday where […] Read more