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

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs extend recovery from recent slide

Live cattle, feeder cattle lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures rose for a third consecutive session on Tuesday as the market continued to recover from oversold conditions, traders said. Live cattle and feeder cattle futures ended lower. Short-covering helped propel hog futures higher following recent declines, said Matt Wiegand, commodity broker for FuturesOne. The market […] 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 futures bounce from losses

Chicago lean hogs also rebound; August feeder cattle lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures ended higher on Monday in a rebound from recent losses, while feeder cattle futures stumbled under pressure from rising costs for grains used for livestock feed. Live cattle were technically oversold and due for a bounce, brokers said. Futures were also due to rally because […] Read more

CME June 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs bounce after recent losses

June live cattle, August feeder cattle up

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures rebounded on Friday after dropping a day earlier to their lowest prices since January. The market was due for a bounce following a recent slide that was driven by concerns about weakening U.S. demand and technical selling, analysts said. The most-active June hogs contract ended […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: CME cattle, hogs weaken amid demand concerns

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange livestock futures fell on Thursday, as high meat prices are threatening U.S. demand, analysts said. Concerns that inflation could remain elevated for longer than anticipated weighed on the markets because higher prices could reduce meat sales, analysts said. Traders also watched a rise in prices for grain used […] Read more

Thanks to the efforts of research scientists, modelling cattle performance has come a long way.

Predicting cattle performance is not a simple science

Nutrition with John McKinnon

As a nutritionist, one of my tasks is to develop feeding programs that handle a variety of cattle types. In most cases, producers will have performance expectations for the cattle they feed. In the case of backgrounding cattle, this might involve targeting a specific average daily gain for a defined period. Finishing cattle usually involves […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs drop to January lows on demand worries

Live cattle up, feeder cattle down

Chicago | Reuters — CME lean hog futures on Wednesday fell to their lowest prices since January amid concerns about demand for U.S. pork, analysts said. Inflation and a decline in U.S. pork exports to China, the world’s top pork consumer, are hurting demand, analysts said. The consumer price index rose 8.3 per cent in […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market starts seasonal rally

Ontario demand leads charge higher in Manitoba

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $4 to as much as $6 higher on average. Calf markets were sharply higher. Auction barns in Manitoba reported calf prices up $8-$10 on average with certain pockets up as much $15. Calf markets in Alberta and Saskatchewan were up a solid $5-$8 from week-ago levels. […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs firm nearby

Outside markets pressure live cattle

Chicago | Reuters — CME’s nearby lean hog futures firmed on Tuesday, incentivizing producers to sell market-ready hogs rather than hold them for premiums later in the summer, analysts said. High futures prices “may have encouraged producers to take a little more risk,” said Altin Kalo, economist at Steiner Consulting Group. “When you’ve got such […] Read more

CME June 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

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

Export demand concerns drag on hogs

Chicago | Reuters — CME live cattle futures firmed on Monday, supported by strong packer demand that supported cash prices, indicating a bullish outlook for summer month futures, analysts said. “Packer behaviour has been bullish for several weeks now. They are going after the cattle,” said Dennis Smith, commodity broker at Archer Financial. “I suspect […] Read more