JBS signage at Greeley, Colorado. (JBS.com.br)

JBS posts quarterly loss on tight U.S. beef margins

'Greater balance' forecasted for global chicken supply

Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazilian meat company JBS SA on Monday reported a second-quarter loss citing the negative effects of an oversupplied global chicken market and tighter margins for its beef business in the U.S., where it gets most of its sales. JBS reported a net loss of 263.6 million reais (C$73.8 million), the […] Read more

Loan limits get beefed up

Loan limits get beefed up

Reading Time: < 1 minute The provincial government is giving feeder association members more options to purchase and market livestock and to generate better cash flow for their operations. It is amending the Feeder Associations Guarantee Regulation. The changes raise individual and joint membership loan limits, excluding advances, to $3 million from $2 million. Cattle prices have increased 25 per […] Read more


“If you can achieve higher forage quality, you’re going to win on both fronts, basically. It’s just a matter of how we get there ... It can depend so much on the individual farm.” – Aaron Knodel.

Low emitting cow-calf farms move in step with profitability

The variability of the cow-calf sector means there are many levers to pull to increase financial, environmental sustainability, says researcher

Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – A study benchmarking cow-calf profitability against greenhouse gas intensity suggests profitable farms tend to have lower emissions, but there’s a lot of room to work on both sides of the equation. “There’s a lot that we can do to provide support to producers who are willing to try things … and I […] Read more

(Geralyn Wichers photo)

Klassen: Upward momentum in feeder market eases

Feedlots seen in 'risk assessment mode'

Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets were relatively unchanged. Higher-quality groups of yearling heifers appeared to trade steady to $2 higher on average while steer markets traded $3-$4 higher to $2 lower. Calf prices are unchanged from seven days earlier. The rally in deferred live cattle futures has stalled for the time […] Read more


Photo: ARS/USDA

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs decline; cattle inches higher

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell on Thursday, pressured by declining demand and expectations of greater supplies of market-ready hogs heading into the fall, analysts said. “You had a cutout that took a big step back yesterday. You had export numbers that weren’t especially supportive this morning, and the fact […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: U.S. feeder markets lead Canadian prices higher

Dry conditions in Saskatchewan and parts of Alberta are moving yearlings off grass sooner than expected

Compared to last week, Western Canadian yearling markets once again jumped $3-$5/cwt on average. Higher quality 900-pound steers are reaching up to the range of $310-$315/cwt. Comments from readers suggest that 850-900-pound steers are trading up to $315-$320/cwt. Calves in the 500-550-pound range are reaching just over the $400/cwt level. Dryer conditions in Saskatchewan and […] Read more


Photo: ARS/USDA

U.S. livestock: CME lean hog futures climb on strong demand

SubtitleCattle futures were pressured by softer cash prices and uncertain consumer demand

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures climbed to nearly four-month highs on Monday, supported by strong demand. “Cash trade got off to a good start. There’s margin out there with where fresh pork values are at. I think that’s helping to move things along,” said Matthew Wiegand, risk management consultant at FuturesOne. […] Read more

(Deyana Robova photo/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hog futures reach one-week high

For beef processors, margins are worsening

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange livestock futures rose on Friday, with the hog market reaching its highest price in a week as profit margins improved for pork processors. The hog market has turned higher after dropping to a one-week low on Wednesday. Most-active October lean hog futures LHV3 ended up 1.775 cents to […] Read more


Photo: Canada Beef Inc.

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures mixed; feeders boosted as corn slumps

Chicago | Reuters – Feeder cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group (CME) ticked up again on Thursday, bolstered by continued weakness in corn futures Cv1, while live cattle futures were mixed on somewhat sluggish cash sales, analysts said. The U.S. Agriculture Department said on Thursday morning that export sales of beef rose to 21,400 […] Read more