Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures advanced for a third straight session on Friday supported by technical and bargain buying and as strong packer margins were seen potentially keeping a floor under cash cattle prices. Futures rose despite some demand concerns as soaring U.S. coronavirus rates triggered lockdowns that impact restaurant traffic, and […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle rise on technical and bargain buying
CME lean hog futures sink
U.S. livestock: Live cattle advance in bargain-buying bounce
CME lean hogs drop
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures firmed for a second straight day on Thursday on bargain buying and speculative buying after prices hit 2-1/2 week lows earlier this week. Futures firmed despite lower cash cattle prices and tumbling beef prices as packer demand held stable and processing margins remained profitable. “With the early […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Short covering, bargain buying lift cattle, hog futures
Meat prices, cash values temper gains
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures firmed on Wednesday in a short-covering and bargain-buying bounce following four straight losing sessions that had dragged prices to 2-1/2-week lows. Lean hog futures also firmed on short covering and bargain buying, though livestock traders remained generally cautious as they monitor broadening coronavirus restrictions and pandemic relief […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures follow cash prices, beef values lower
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures fell for a fourth straight session on Tuesday as cash cattle traded lower at southern U.S. Plains feedlot markets and as wholesale beef prices continued a steep seasonal slide. Declines, however, were limited by bargain buying as some traders viewed the recent drop in cattle prices as […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures fall as accelerating pandemic stirs demand concern
Chicago | Reuters – U.S. cattle and hog futures fell on Monday as cash beef and pork prices weakened and as accelerating coronavirus infection rates prompted tighter restrictions on restaurants and other food service outlets, threatening meat sales. Meanwhile, renewed tensions between the United States and China, after fresh U.S. sanctions on 14 Chinese officials, […] Read more
Flush with cash, Chinese hog producer builds world’s largest pig farm
China | Reuters – Behind the walls of a hulking industrial compound in rural China, top pig producer Muyuan Foods is trying to raise more hogs on a single site than any company in the world – a risky investment with deadly African swine fever lingering. The new farm, which began construction in March and […] Read more
Ontario hog set-aside plan underway
AgriRecovery program taking applications through March
Ontario hog farmers can now apply for AgriRecovery toward feed costs for hogs held back from sale when certain pork packers went into COVID-19-induced slowdowns. Agricorp, the province’s ag program delivery agency, on Nov. 25 announced the Canada-Ontario COVID-19 2020 Hog Maintenance Feed Initiative, which started effective Nov. 6 and will run through to March […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures step back on demand uncertainty
Lean hogs down with pork production up
Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures fell on Friday as a third day of softer wholesale beef prices brought retailer demand into question, traders said. “Wholesale beef prices appear to have topped again and could head lower into the holidays, other than some late buying by retailers last minute,” said Doug Houghton, technical analyst […] Read more
Pork genomics project gets $1 million
Reading Time: < 1 minute University of Alberta professor, Michael Dyck has been awarded a $1-million grant for a project that will use genomics to select pigs with improved disease resilience. The funding, which comes from Genome Canada, will build on the work the professor of animal biotechnology has done with funding from Genome Alberta and is being supported by […] Read more
U.S. pork packer Smithfield offers ultra-cold vaccine storage
COVID-19 vaccines need storage at -20 C, -70 C
Chicago | Reuters — Smithfield Foods, the world’s biggest pork processor, said on Thursday it had offered to help U.S. health officials distribute COVID-19 vaccines and store them in ultra-cold freezers that are in high demand to support a public vaccination campaign. U.S. states, cities and hospitals are scrambling to buy freezers that can safely […] Read more
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