(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Cash discounts lift live cattle

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed firmer on Wednesday, with support from short-covering tied to futures’ discounts to preliminary cash prices, said traders. April live cattle closed 0.575 cent/lb. higher at 121.35 cents, and June up 0.25 cent to 111.85 cents (all figures US$). Market-ready, or cash, cattle at Wednesday […] Read more




(Regis Lefebure photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs give back recent gains

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures on Friday suffered their biggest one-day loss in a month, with pressure from liquidation by funds that were largely responsible for Thursday’s market rally, said traders. April hogs ended 2.075 cents/lb. lower at 67.275 cents, and May 1.725 cents lower at 72.225 cents. “Futures are […] Read more


(Gloria Solano-Aguilar photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs snap back from session lows

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures finished higher on Thursday, after short-covering and bargain buying brought contracts from morning lows, traders said. “Hogs (futures) were simply too cheap. The price had gotten to the point where (investors) had wrung out any sort of spring seasonal rally,” said independent CME livestock futures […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle hit two-month high on cash optimism

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rose to two-month highs on Tuesday as wholesale beef prices extended gains, stoking optimism for higher prices this week in Plains cash cattle markets, traders and analysts said. Feeder cattle futures also were higher, while lean hogs fell for the fifth straight session. “There continues […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Deferred cattle hit contract highs

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures were mostly higher on Monday, with deferred months for both live and feeder cattle hitting contract highs on spreading and investment fund buying, traders and analysts said. Lean hog futures were largely lower, extending losses to the fourth straight session in a technical selloff. Most-active CME […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder cattle continue upward trend

Western Canadian feeder cattle prices traded $3-$5 above week-ago levels with higher-quality cattle as much as $8 higher. Once again, stronger fed cattle prices and healthy feedlot margins were the main factors driving the market, especially in the heavier weight categories. Feedlots have liquidated a larger amount of fed cattle over the few weeks and […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Cattle hit new highs on technical buying, beef gains

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures climbed to a fresh seven-week high on Friday while feeder cattle reached the highest levels since August on support from technical buying and gains in wholesale beef prices, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange futures tracked gains earlier this week in Plains cash cattle markets, with meat packers […] Read more