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
Conditioning key to transport success
U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle set contract high, live cattle hit July high
Hogs up but within yesterday's range
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures climbed to a July high on Thursday while feeder cattle set new contract highs. Tight supplies continue to support the markets, analysts said, after U.S. producers reduced their cattle herds over the last year as drought limited the availability of pastures for grazing. October live […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle rally near four-week high
October hogs touch lowest in a week
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rallied on Wednesday to their highest level in nearly four weeks, while feeder cattle also stormed higher. U.S. cattle supplies are tight as drought reduced the amount of pasture available for grazing and drove producers to send more cattle to slaughter over the last year. […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs near one-month high on export outlook
CME cattle futures close lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures neared a one-month high on Tuesday on expectations for increased U.S. pork exports and tightening supplies. Demand for U.S. pork is benefiting as high pig prices in Europe cause global importers to shift some business to the United States, where pig prices have been weak, […] Read more
CowBytes is back
Software tailors feed rations with available supplies
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Beef Cattle Research Council says CowBytes is once again available. The ration-balancing software allows cattle producers to formulate their own feed rations while considering various combinations of feed and byproducts at different prices, and in doing so, can find a way to reduce feed costs while still meeting production targets. Ensuring that cattle are […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market shrugs off lower barley production
Barley exports, domestic demand expected to be reduced
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $2-$3/cwt on either side of unchanged. Prices for calves were also unchanged from average values seven days earlier. Calf markets are becoming more defined as volumes increase. There also appeared to be larger volume of high-quality yearlings available, which was a surprise. The drought hasn’t significantly […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle ease on softer cash markets
Trade watching for increased demand for hogs
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures eased on Friday, ending the week slightly lower as cash trade eased, though the cattle market continues to trade mostly sideways, analysts said. “The market’s basically saying — we’ve got stable trade right now for a couple months,” said Rich Nelson, chief strategist at Allendale […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle up ahead of long weekend
Lean hogs follow cash hog index lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures ticked upward Thursday, while packers backed off of buying ahead of the Labour Day holiday week that will limit slaughter, analysts said. “There was some light trade today, slightly lower than last week,” said Doug Houghton, technical analyst at Brock Capital Management. “I don’t know […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs climb as traders eye seasonal supply shifts
Cattle futures down ahead of long weekend
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures climbed on Wednesday, finding support as traders gauged pork demand and watched for signs of a seasonal influx of market-ready hogs. “We still have an index that’s higher than the October. It usually doesn’t close the gap until we get into September a week or […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle dip as traders weigh cash, consumer demand
Hog futures down on supply expectations
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures eased on Tuesday after four days of gains, as traders look for direction from consumer demand amid tight cattle supplies, analysts said. “I think we’ve been sideways for cattle now for over a month and, I guess until we see a change on the product […] Read more
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