CME February 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20- and 100-day moving averages (pink and dark red lines) and CME lean hog index (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures up in thin trade

February live cattle up on bargain buying

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures rose in thin trade on Thursday to halt a three-session slide, buoyed by firming cash hog markets and higher wholesale pork prices, analysts said. Most-active February hog futures settled up 1.025 cents at 80.35 cents/lb. (all figures US$). Trading volume for all months was estimated […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures down on meat export worries

China resuming some Brazilian beef imports

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell more than one per cent on Wednesday on technical selling, softer cash cattle markets this week and worries about export demand for U.S. beef, traders said. CME February live cattle fell 1.725 cents to settle at 136.575 cents/lb., just below the contract’s 50-day moving […] Read more


CME February 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with 10-, 20- and 50-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures fall on weak cash markets

Hog futures down for fourth day

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell on Wednesday, pressured by technical selling and signs of weakness in the cash markets, traders said. Hog futures were lower for the fourth day in a row, with the front-month contract sinking to its lowest in 10 months on weak export prospects and a […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cash, export markets lift CME live cattle

December hogs lower, February up

Chicago | Reuters — CME Group cattle futures rose on Thursday, with the front-month live cattle contract hitting its highest since June 2017 on support from strength in the cash markets. Rising overseas demand also lent support cattle futures after the U.S. Agriculture Department said that weekly beef export sales totaled 30,000 tonnes, the most […] Read more





Rejean Nadeau. (Photo courtesy Olymel)

Olymel CEO dies of ‘sudden’ cancer

Rejean Nadeau died Thursday at 71

The CEO of Canadian pork and poultry packer Olymel has died of a “sudden and virulent cancer” at age 71, his company reported Friday morning. Rejean Nadeau, the CEO of Sollio Co-operative’s meatpacking and processing arm since 1996, died Thursday at his home at Rougemont, Que., about 25 km south of St-Hyacinthe, Olymel said in […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle down on raised beef production forecasts

Pork supply expectations drag on CME December hogs

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures ended lower on Tuesday, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture slightly increased its forecasts for beef production this year and next year. USDA, in a monthly report, raised its 2021 estimate by 0.3 per cent from September because of higher cow slaughtering and heavier average […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

U.S. considers faster hog slaughter paces based on staffing

Faster speeds seen as increasing injuries

Chicago | Reuters — The Biden administration is considering a proposal that could allow some pork plants to slaughter pigs more quickly if they boost staffing, a union official said, after a U.S. court struck down a Trump-era rule that removed line speed limits. The proposal put forward by Quality Pork Processors, operator of a […] Read more

File photo of signage outside Maple Leaf Foods’ Lagimodiere Boulevard plant in Winnipeg. (Dave Bedard photo)

Expansions boost Maple Leaf plant’s bacon offerings

Pre-cooked bacon capability sets up Winnipeg plant as 'bacon centre of excellence'

The Winnipeg pork further-processing plant previously earmarked as Maple Leaf Foods’ “ham centre of excellence” now gets the same billing for bacon. The major Toronto meat processor announced Tuesday it had completed a $182 million, 73,000-square foot expansion at its Lagimodiere Boulevard prepared meats plant, to “significantly” increase its bacon production capacity. The expansion, Maple […] Read more