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

U.S. livestock: CME cattle, hog futures sag as broad selling hits markets

Crude, U.S. equities caught in sell-off

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange livestock futures slumped on Monday as traders reduced risk in the face of rising coronavirus cases, brokers said. Selling hit a range of markets including crude oil, which lost more than three per cent, and U.S. stocks. “The risk-off trade is back today,” said Dan Norcini, an independent […] Read more

Bob Speller, shown here in a 2011 campaign video, died Dec. 16, 2021. (Video screengrab via YouTube)

Former federal agriculture minister Bob Speller, 65

Ontario MP served in Paul Martin's cabinet

A memorial will be held next week for Bob Speller, the Ontario businessman who served as Canada’s agriculture minister in the thick of the country’s BSE crisis. Speller, the MP for the southwestern Ontario riding of what’s now Haldimand-Norfolk from 1988 to 2004, died Thursday at age 65. A cause of death wasn’t given in […] Read more


A microscope-level view of damaged brain tissue from a cow infected with BSE. (USDA photo via U.S. Food and Drug Administration)

‘Atypical’ BSE shows up in Alberta cow

Spontaneous case won't affect Canada's 'negligible risk' status, CFIA says

Updated –– Canada’s first case of BSE since the country achieved “negligible risk” status for the brain-wasting cattle disease isn’t expected to affect trade in Canadian beef. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Friday it has notified the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) of a case of “atypical” bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in an […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: Hog futures end mixed ahead of USDA data

Chicago cattle close lower, rangebound

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures closed mixed on Friday, with the front February contract gaining against deferred months as traders squared positions ahead of a quarterly U.S. government hog report due next week, traders said. Most-active February hog futures settled up 0.45 cent at 80.8 cents/lb., while April hogs ended […] Read more


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 Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures sag on weaker cash markets

CME lean hogs decline

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures ended modestly lower on Tuesday on profit-taking after a two-session advance, softer cash cattle prices and weaker wholesale beef prices, traders said. CME February live cattle settled down 0.55 cent at 138.3 cents/lb. but stayed inside of Monday’s trading range (all figures US$). For feeder […] Read more

“In no way are we experiencing increases in our calf prices or the fat prices because of the increase at the grocery store.” – Melanie Wowk.

Cattle producers have the beef but aren’t getting the bucks

Producers are used to the cattle cycle but this one is extreme — and extremely painful

Reading Time: 4 minutes Beef prices are sky high, but that money is not trickling down into the hands of cattle producers. “I’ve been getting lots of calls from producers on why there’s such a difference on the price at the packer level and at the retail level,” said Melanie Wowk, chair of Alberta Beef Producers. “Our prices at […] Read more


CME February 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with 10-, 40- and 100-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle up off three-week low in technical bounce

Hogs ease

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher on Monday, bouncing off a three-week low on technical buying, analysts said. CME February live cattle settled up 0.775 cent at 138.85 cents/lb., rebounding after a dip to 136.85 cents, just below the contract’s 40-day moving average and its lowest since Nov. 18. […] Read more

CME February 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 10-, 30- and 50-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures extend rebound off 10-month low

Bargain buying supports cattle

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures rallied on Friday, extending gains made a day earlier when the market rebounded from a 10-month low. The gains accelerated as prices surged through key resistance points, and the market closed near session highs. CME February lean hogs settled up 3.2 cents at 81.025 cents/lb. […] Read more