CME October 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs hit lowest in more than six months

Cash market bearish on cattle futures

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures fell for the fifth day in a row on Thursday, with the front-month contract hitting its lowest since March 2 on a continuous basis. The hog market was under pressure from long liquidation by investment funds, traders said. Cattle futures were mixed, with live cattle edging […] Read more



CME October 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 100- and 200-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle touch three-month lows

Demand from packers softening

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures slid to three-month lows on Tuesday, as beef demand slows, leaving cattle producers with ample supply as packer demand softens, traders said. “Packers are bought for a long ways out — have a lot of inventory,” said Scott Varilek, broker at Kooima Kooima Varilek Trading […] Read more

(PorcOlymel.com)

Slaughter resumes at Olymel hog plant

Return to usual pace expected 'in coming weeks'

Hog slaughter resumed Friday at a major Quebec pork plant that had sat idle for over four months, as striking employees now return to work with a new six-year contract. The Olymel plant at Vallee-Jonction, south of Quebec City, restarted daytime and evening hog slaughter shifts Friday after “maintenance and sanitation” work on Wednesday and […] Read more


CME October 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle lower as beef prices cool

Lean hogs close mostly lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell on Thursday, on softening wholesale beef prices and a lack of supportive news, traders said. CME October live cattle settled down 1.525 cents at 126.05 cents/lb. after hitting 125.875, near the contract’s 100-day moving average and its lowest price since Aug. 6 (all figures […] Read more

CME October 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle end up off six-session skid

Hogs up but still rangebound

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher Wednesday on short-covering after a six-session decline and expectations of firming cash cattle prices, traders said. However, the rally was capped by falling wholesale beef prices, with the U.S. grilling season poised to wind down after Monday’s Labour Day holiday. CME October live […] Read more


File photo of a roundworm larva. (Dotana/iStock/Getty Images)

Health Canada warns people not to take livestock dewormers

No evidence that drug is effective against COVID-19

“Concerning reports” of people in Canada seeking out veterinary-grade dewormers for personal use have led Health Canada to formally advise against doing so. News reports in Western Canada in the past week have described increased demand from non-farming consumers for veterinary-grade ivermectin, whether at livestock supply retailers or online. While ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug […] Read more

(Olymel video screengrab via YouTube)

Striking Olymel workers accept new six-year deal

Slaughter could restart Friday at earliest, company says

Striking workers at a major hog slaughter and cutting plant in Quebec’s Beauce region have agreed to a new six-year contract that could see slaughter resume Friday at the earliest. Olymel and the CSN-affiliated Syndicat des travailleurs d’Olymel Vallee-Jonction (STOVJ) announced Tuesday afternoon that unionized workers at the company’s Vallee-Jonction plant, south of Quebec City, […] Read more


CME October 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle fall to lowest in three weeks

Hogs down off Monday's climb

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures dropped to their lowest prices in more than three weeks on Tuesday as boxed beef prices continued to weaken amid expectations for reduced demand, analysts said. Lean hog futures also declined as traders adjusted positions on the last day of the month and ahead of […] Read more

CME December 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle follow boxed beef lower

Feeder cattle mostly firmer, hogs lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures sagged on Monday as beef prices fell and brokers worried that U.S. demand for steaks and hamburgers will decline after the upcoming Labour Day holiday weekend. Beef prices have softened after reaching their highest price since May 2020 last week as retailers stocked up for […] Read more