Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – A farm’s best plan when it comes to rebuilding the cattle herd after drought may have a lot to do with how deeply it had to cull, according to the Beef Cattle Research Council study. The study drew information from 17 farms registered with the council’s cow-calf production network from Western Canada […] Read more
Economics of herd rebuilding depend on cull rate, study finds
Retaining heifers works best if culling wasn’t too severe, but economies of scale are key
U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs end lower, consolidate after rally
December live cattle futures flat
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures pulled back on Tuesday as the market consolidated after climbing nearly five per cent during the previous session, brokers said. CME December hogs closed 1.475 cents, or 1.7 per cent, lower at 85.575 cents/lb. (all figures US$). Wholesale pork prices were also lower. The U.S. […] Read more
Klassen: Tighter supplies underpin western Canadian feeder market
Weather conditions may sway buying interest
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices were unchanged to $4 higher. Heavier calves notched a week-over-week gain of $2-$4. Mid-weight and lighter calves traded steady to $5 lower in Alberta but $4-$5 on either side of unchanged in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Yearling numbers were limited and buyers paid up for quality packages while […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs rally on bargain buying
Chicago live cattle firm
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures jumped nearly five per cent on Monday on bargain buying after the benchmark December contract on Friday dipped to its lowest in nearly three weeks, traders said. CME December hogs settled up 4.075 cents at 87.05 cents/lb., surging in early moves after the contract was […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hog, live cattle futures sag in technical moves
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures declined on Friday, with the benchmark December contract hitting a near three-week low in what appeared to be featureless technical selling, traders said. CME December hogs LHZ2 settled down 0.400 cent at 82.975 cents per lb after touching 82.825, the lowest since Oct. 17, and falling below […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures sag on long liquidation; cash trade awaited
Chicago | Reuters – U.S. live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange closed lower in range-bound trade on Tuesday as speculators exited long positions amid a lack of supportive news, traders said. CME December live cattle LCZ2 settled down 0.525 cent at 151.950 cents per lb but stayed inside of Monday’s trading range. January feeder cattle FCF3 finished […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle market experiences weather volatility
Compared to last week, Western Canadian yearling prices traded $3 to $4 on either side of side of unchanged while calves traded $5 lower to as much as $6 higher. The calf market tends to experience a seasonal bounce every November. In certain cases, buyers appeared to step forward more aggressively last week in anticipation […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs bounce back from steep losses
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures settled higher on Friday in a recovery from sharp losses recorded in the previous session, while live cattle futures weakened for a second consecutive day. December lean hog futures LHZ2 ended up 0.975 cent at 86.100 cents per lb. The contract bounced after sinking by 3.375 cents […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs touch one-week lows in pullback from gains
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell to their lowest prices in more than a week on Thursday in a setback from recent rallies, traders said. Live cattle futures also ended lower after the February contract LCF3 set a new high. The hog and cattle markets were overbought and due for corrections, traders […] Read more
We should celebrate change and raise those low vaccination rates
Thoughts on how things are getting better, the joy of hydraulic chutes, and vaccination hesitancy
Reading Time: 3 minutes They say the only constant is change, and one only has to think back on how we used to do things to see the great changes that have happened in the cattle industry. Advancements in technology, vaccines, reproductive technologies, nutrition, handling, production genetics and animal welfare are abundant. I think most of these changes have […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
