CME June 2021 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures edge higher after limit down move

CME cattle futures weak

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures firmed slightly on Tuesday after falling their daily trading limit in the previous session. Traders said the market had run out of steam after rallying to their highest since June 2014 last week. “There no doubt remains questions about the belly’s staying power at these levels […] Read more

CME June 2021 lean hogs with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs limit-down off highest in nearly seven years

Follow-through selling drags on live cattle

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile exchange lean hog futures dropped sharply on Monday, with numerous contracts closing down the daily three-cent limit on a round of profit-taking after the front-month contract hit its highest since June 2014 last week. “We have had a strong run and we are coming up a little bit short […] Read more


CME June 2021 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle ease after week of rising cash cattle, beef prices

Lean hog futures continue higher

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange eased on Friday, as basis between cash cattle and futures narrowed, analysts said. “We had some profit taking, because the cash market finally surged higher,” said Cassie Fish, analyst and author at the blog, The Beef. Cash cattle traded as high as […] Read more

CME June 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20- and 100-day moving averages (pink, red lines) and CME lean hog index (purple line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs strengthen on strong demand, firm exports

Live cattle down despite beef, cash strength

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange climbed higher on Thursday as tight supply and firm export demand offered support, analysts said. “A lot of that has to do with COVID and the pent-up demand we have, with more things opening up,” said Joe Kooima, commodity broker at Kooima […] Read more


CME June 2021 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs gain as swine fever worries open up export markets

Boxed beef values lift live cattle futures

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange jumped higher on Wednesday on fears of African swine fever rising across parts of Asia, as well as tight domestic supply as the U.S. rebuilds its hog herd after culling during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, analysts said. The Philippines reduced […] Read more

John Cross, who now ranches with daughter Tanis, began using regenerative ag practices when he took over A7 Ranche 35 years ago. But it’s an ongoing and evolving process, they say.

Regenerative agriculture is becoming the next big thing for consumers

As interest in how food is produced increases, regenerative ag is becoming a fast-growing trend

Reading Time: 6 minutes Consumers have latched on to a new-to-them concept that puts soil health front and centre — regenerative agriculture. “For farmers, (regenerative agriculture) is nothing new, but now we’re starting to see consumers use the term,” said Jo-Ann McArthur, president of Nourish Food Marketing in Toronto. “When we look at it, we see it potentially becoming […] Read more


CME June 2021 live cattle with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle up with consumer beef demand

Demand, cash prices also support hogs

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange climbed higher on Tuesday, supported by strong consumer beef demand and a firming cash beef market, analysts said. “The demand for protein is strong,” said Altin Kalo, economist at Steiner Consulting Group. It’s people getting ready for the spring and restaurants opening […] Read more

CME June 2021 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle, lean hogs set new contract highs

June hogs turn lower before close

Chicago | Reuters — Strong meat demand pushed U.S. live cattle and lean hog futures to new contract highs on Monday. The cattle market benefited from increasing demand for beef as the U.S. is entering the summer grilling season, analysts said. Prices for choice cuts of boxed beef soared by $5.82, to $258.67/cwt, while select […] Read more


The latest change to AgriStability is a significant improvement but producers still need a proper business risk management program, says Canadian Cattlemen’s Association president Bob Lowe, who ranches and has a feedlot near Nanton.

It’s a start but farm groups and governments eye bigger changes to AgriStability

Changes to the federal farm support program get generally favourable reviews, but calls for a better program aren’t going away

Reading Time: 5 minutes Better, but not great. And let’s come up with something that really works. Those two sentiments characterized most of the comments about the recently agreed-to change to AgriStability. And most producers would add ‘still really complicated’ as the decision by Ottawa and the provinces to scrap the ‘reference margin limit’ will impact individual farms in […] Read more

Why does the reference margin limit matter?

Reading Time: 2 minutes The reference margin limit was made part of AgriStability in 2013 and the federal government says removing it will increase payments for farmers from the program by $75 million annually. But while most farm groups said the change is a positive one, the Canadian Pork Council said it would do “very little” for its members. […] Read more