CME December 2023 live cattle with 20-, 100- and 200-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures rally late in session on technical buying

Hogs down on technical selling

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle futures saw a choppy day of trading on Wednesday, before rallying later in the session on short-covering and technical buying, traders said. December live cattle futures dipped below its 200-day moving average of $177.50 before bouncing up (all figures US$). January 2024 feeder cattle futures also […] Read more

Living Lab integrates Indigenous perspective into ag research

Living Lab integrates Indigenous perspective into ag research

First Nations communities are working with several ag and environmental organizations on a Living Lab in north-central Saskatchewan

Anthony Johnston dreams of Indigenous people returning to agriculture on Indigenous lands. He remembers a time when family farms were a part of Indigenous communities. He reflects on how the buffalo were key to of a way of life for his ancestors on the Prairies. Standing at the front of the room at the International […] Read more


CME February 2024 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures sink to May lows

CME December hogs continue higher

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures sank to their lowest prices since May on Tuesday on fund liquidation and profit-taking, traders said. Follow-through selling pressured the markets after losses on Monday, along with softer boxed beef prices, traders said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture priced choice cuts of beef at $300.38/cwt, down $1.34 from […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Buyers contemplate feeder market prices

In adverse weather, sale results vary

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $3-$5/cwt lower on average although limited numbers made the market hard to define. Calf markets traded $4-$8/cwt on either side of unchanged. It appeared that 700-plus-lb. calves were up $4 to as much as $8. The variation in the price structure was due to the adverse […] Read more


CME December 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle slide on concerns over beef demand

Chicago December lean hogs settle higher

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures dropped to their lowest level in more than a week at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Monday on concerns about the risk for easing demand for U.S. beef. Feeder cattle futures also declined, while lean hog futures ended higher. Lower-than-expected cash cattle prices last week contributed to uncertainty […] Read more

Protein availability can be reduced when it is bound to fibre fractions in forages.

Unpacking an oat silage feed report

Understanding results and applying the information from a feed test is key to developing balanced rations

You’ve collected representative samples of feed and sent them for analysis. Interpreting the results and building a balanced ration is the next step. (see ‘Certificate of Analysis’ report example at bottom) Moisture and dry matter: Moisture represents the amount of water present in a feed sample. Dry matter is what remains after water is removed. Moisture […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: CME hog, cattle futures down on profit-taking

Cash hog values seen softer

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) hog futures closed lower on Friday, retreating on a round of profit-taking after the benchmark December contract rose to its highest level in a month. Soft cash hog values, weaker wholesale pork prices and a large weekly hog slaughter added to bearish sentiment. “We’ve had a pretty […] Read more

Jenilee Peters scanning dried, ground feces on the NIRS.

Demystifying near-infrared spectroscopy

Unpacking how this technology works and how it can used to analyze forage, feed and feces

The composition of feeds, forages and feces has traditionally been determined using wet chemistry methods, often referred to as the gold standard. However, the trade-off for this level of accuracy is often a high cost and a long turnaround time to perform the analysis.  In that time, the nutrient profile of forages in grazing systems […] Read more


CME January 2024 feeder cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle, hogs soar as U.S. Fed piques investors’ risk appetite

Beef, pork export sales above four-week average

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle and hog futures rose on Thursday following broad strength in Wall Street equities, crude oil and other commodities, as investors’ risk appetite increased a day after the U.S. Federal Reserve kept benchmark interest rates on hold. “The emphasis is really from the ‘risk-on’ macro play, driven […] Read more

Ergot-Rye hybrid.

Researchers hope hybrid rye silage can help plug feed gap

With less ergot risk than conventional rye, hybrid rye may be a good option for some cattle feeders

Frank Zhang says when he talks to his colleagues about silage, they all are familiar with barley silage — but none are familiar with rye silage.  “It’s very rare to find people using the rye silage,” Zhang says. “But thinking about the environment changing, just like the drought this year … this might provide an […] Read more