Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs and feeder cattle futures fell on Thursday on a flurry of technical trading, as feed prices rebounded and investors scrambled to find stable footing amid continued volatility in commodity markets. Live cattle inched up, while cash cattle saw limited action in the southern Plains, with some […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME hogs, feeder cattle slide
Technical trading, higher grain values drag on futures
U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle rise as feed prices slip
June live cattle, April hogs lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle fell on Wednesday on technical liquidation, as livestock markets continue to wrestle with questions about consumer demand as food prices surge, traders said. Feeder cattle futures firmed on the day as feed prices fell, traders said. “Today’s live cattle futures trade has been choppy to weaker, […] Read more
BSE lawsuit dismissed — but long-running legal battle not over
Judge agrees Ottawa failed to take steps to keep BSE out of Canada, but says that’s not negligence
Reading Time: 3 minutes An Ontario Supreme Court judge has dismissed a class-action lawsuit that alleged the federal government was negligent nearly two decades ago when it didn’t take measures that could have prevented the BSE crisis. But the case, launched in 2005, isn’t over yet. Lawyers for the plaintiff, an Alberta ranch, have already launched an appeal. The […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME cattle up amid weak broader markets
Nearby hog futures see muted gains
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures climbed on Tuesday as investors looked for safety amid weaker broader markets. “With oil prices giving up gains the last couple days, the reverse happened in cattle,” said Altin Kalo, Economist at Steiner Consulting Group. CME’s most-active June live cattle added 1.1 cents to 136.8 cents/lb., […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle market experiences volatility
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $2 higher to as much as $5 lower depending on the region. Mid-weight calves weighing 650-800 lbs. were relatively unchanged while lighter weight calves were steady to $3 higher on average. June live cattle are off $9 from their mid-February highs while the December 2022 live […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME cattle, hogs firm amid market uncertainty
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures climbed on Monday as traders attempted to make sense of changing trade restrictions and allowances. “The market’s trying to sort out all these trade protection measures,” said Alan Brugler, president of Brugler Marketing. “Everybody seems to want imports, and nobody wants to export anything.” CME April […] Read more
More calves in the first round is a winning formula
Research council urges producers to consider the payoff from tightening the calving season
Reading Time: 2 minutes According to experts, the winning numbers in the calving lottery are always the same: 60-25-10-5. And the Beef Cattle Research Council wants producers to test that theory by using its Value of Calving Distribution Calculator. Calving distribution is the percentage of calves born in each 21-day cycle during the calving season (which is 63 days […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME hogs, cattle rise as grain markets stabilize
Bargain buying supports cattle
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures rose on Friday, supported by technical buying, traders said. Cattle futures also were firm, bouncing back from two days of declines on some end-of-week bargain hunting. Signs of stability in the grain and soy markets after wild volatility since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine added support to […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle down on cash weakness, technical selling
Chicago lean hogs mixed
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures fell on Thursday, with weakness in the cash markets pressuring futures, traders said. Some follow-through selling in cattle also was noted after sharp declines on Wednesday, Pork futures were mixed, with the most-active April contract falling after a government report showed a sharp drop in exports […] Read more
Been there, done that: Acclimating heifers to chutes pays dividends
Practice runs through facilities lowers the fear factor and can even reduce open rates, study finds
Reading Time: 3 minutes Just having a less stressful life would have been worth it for Karyn Neilson, but acclimating heifers to handling facilities may also result in more calves. “The minimal time invested into acclimating is well worth the results,” said the Stettler-area producer. It all started when Neilson and husband Lance contacted Olds College inquiring how they […] Read more