CME October 2023 live cattle, with December 2023 live cattle (dark red O/H/L/C). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle touch contract highs on cash prices, tight supplies

Lean hogs mixed in technical trading

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures scaled to life-of-contract highs on Friday on firmer cash market prices and tight supplies of market-ready animals, traders said. Feeder cattle futures also posted contract highs across the board, drawing additional support from weaker feed corn prices. Feedlot cattle in the central and southern U.S. […] Read more

CME October 2023 live cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Tight supply drives CME live cattle to new highs

Hogs down off Wednesday's one-month high

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures galloped to new highs on Thursday on short-covering combined with continued concerns about U.S. tight supplies, brokers said. October live cattle futures ended up 2.325 cents at 185.475 cents/lb. after setting a contract high of 185.775 cents/lb. (all figures US$). December live cattle settled 2.5 […] Read more


CME October 2023 live cattle with 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures ease in technical setback after highs

Nearby lean hogs also down on technical selling

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live and feeder cattle futures retreated on Wednesday in a technical selling and profit-taking setback after hitting highs earlier in the week, traders said. Higher feed corn prices and a weak tone to the cash beef market added pressure, they said. “This is technical after feeder cattle hit […] Read more

Ryan Canart outlines his operation during a July field tour.

Yearlings get schooled in rotational grazing

Ryan Canart trains a new group of animals every year and says they take to it well

Reading Time: 3 minutes Ryan Canart’s approach to pasture management reflects a lot of the principles that have become old hat during grazing tours across the Prairies. He is among the proponents of rotational grazing. His 907 animals are mostly moved daily through relatively small paddocks, with a goal to grow soil health and productivity. His land features an […] Read more


Photo: Canada Beef

Klassen: Feeder market continues to consolidate

U.S. feeder cattle supplies seen tighter than expected

Compared to last week, western Canadian grass yearling prices were relatively unchanged. Yearlings over 800 lbs. on light grain rations or on diets mixed with silage were priced at $5 to as much as $20 discount to those cattle coming straight off pasture. Larger groups of uniform quality continue to trade at a minor premium […] Read more

CME October 2023 live cattle with 20-day moving average and December 2023 live cattle (dark red line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures end mixed after hitting new highs

CME lean hogs mostly higher

Chicago | Reuters — Most of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder and live cattle futures hit new contract highs again on Tuesday, as tight U.S. supplies and forecast of a strong cash market added fuel to a bull rally, traders said. But by the end of the session, both live and feeder cattle futures were […] Read more


CME October 2023 feeder cattle with 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle, deferred live cattle hit new highs

October lean hogs also close higher

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. feeder cattle futures and deferred live cattle futures hit new contract highs on Monday, as tight U.S. supplies going into next year continued to fuel the bull market, traders said. Even Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s October and December live cattle futures surged within $1 of their contract highs, fueled by optimism […] Read more

CME June 2024 live cattle with 20-day moving average and October 2023 live cattle (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle, deferred live cattle set highs on tight supply

Hog futures down on lower export sales

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. feeder cattle futures and deferred live cattle futures climbed to new peaks on Friday, as limited U.S. supplies continued to propel prices. Inventories of U.S. cattle dwindled to their lowest levels in decades after producers reduced their herds over the last year because drought reduced the availability of pastures for […] Read more


There’s little doubt that smoke is affecting cattle, but to what degree no one knows at this point.

Smoke inhalation can affect cattle

Beef 911: Research shows an effect in housed dairy cattle so outdoor beef animals are also susceptible

Reading Time: 3 minutes Wildfires have exceeded all records in the 2023 season. Both British Columbia and Alberta are expected to see more than two million hectares destroyed. There has been steady growth in the number and size of wildfires since the 1980s. Drought, global warming and storms are generally the culprits and there has been plenty of smoke […] Read more

Conditioning key to transport success

Conditioning key to transport success

Reading Time: < 1 minute The results of a four-year animal transport research study, funded in part by Alberta Beef Producers, suggest the most important animal welfare factor in transport may be conditioning before they get on the truck. Researchers found that rest stops had minimal impact on animal welfare. The biggest difference was in conditioned versus non-conditioned calves. In […] Read more