CME June 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs, feeder cattle slide

Technical trading, higher grain values drag on futures

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

CME April 2022 feeder cattle (candlesticks, right column) with 20-day moving average (red line) and CBOT May 2022 corn (yellow line, left column). (Barchart)

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


“Given these findings of fact, we have difficulty understanding how the government is not liable.” – Duncan Boswell.

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

CME April 2022 feeder cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

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



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

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

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

CME June 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

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


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

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

Pail feeding heifers gets them used to people but running them through chutes prior to breeding makes them even more calm, says Karyn Neilson.

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