Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures dipped slightly on Friday, while feeder cattle and lean hogs ticked up as traders squared positions prior to the release of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cattle on Feed report, after a choppy week of trading, analysts said.

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures fall on positioning before USDA data release

U.S. farm bill, biofuels and vCOOL among American trends worth watching FCC says
Voluntary country of origin labelling (vCOOL) for beef and pork, biofuel tax credit changes, and an impending U.S. farm bill are three U.S. agriculture trends worth watching according to recent analysis from Farm Credit Canada (FCC).

Biosecurity bill C-275 amended in Senate
Bill C-275, which was drafted protect farms from intruders who might spread animal diseases was amended in the Senate yesterday to include anyone who doesn’t respect biosecurity protocol.

JBS, Sigma vie for Kraft Heinz’s $3 billion hot-dog business, sources say
Brazilian meatpacker JBS and Mexico's Sigma Alimentos are among those competing to acquire Oscar Mayer, the hot dogs and cold cuts business of packaged food giant Kraft Heinz, according to people familiar with the matter.

McDonald’s US head vows to improve safety after E. coli outbreak, more cases expected
McDonald's scrambled on Wednesday to contain the damage from an E. coli outbreak linked to Quarter Pounder burgers that has killed one person and sickened nearly 50 others, as it pulled the menu item from restaurants across a dozen U.S. states.

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures fall on technical trade, E. coli outbreak concerns
Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures turned lower on Wednesday, amid a flurry of technical selling and uncertainty whether consumer demand for beef would chill after an E. coli outbreak was linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounder burgers, traders said.

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures up on strong demand
Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures rose on Tuesday on signs of increased demand from U.S. consumers and exporters, analysts said.

Klassen: Canadian feeder markets trades premium to U.S. values
For the week ending October 19, Western Canadian yearling markets traded $3 to $5 on either side of unchanged compared to seven days earlier. Calf prices were $5 to as much as $10 higher. Strength in the deferred live cattle futures along with the weaker Canadian dollar has resulted in positive margins on incoming calves. Therefore, the calf market has developed a floor price.

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures pull back as rally fades
Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures pulled back from the previous week's rally on Monday as traders positioned ahead of Friday's U.S. Department of Agriculture Cattle on Feed report, analysts said.

Australia cashes in on beef exports as US cattle herd shrinks
A slump in U.S. beef production has opened the door for Australia to export record amounts of meat, growing its market share in North America and Asia and channelling billions of dollars to cattle processors and farmers.