Chicago | Reuters — Investigators may never determine how a highly contagious virus that has killed an estimated 10 per cent of U.S. pigs entered the country for the first time last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s top veterinarian said Monday. The porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) has wiped out an estimated seven million […] Read more
Source of U.S. PEDv outbreak may never be learned: CVO
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle close mostly higher on spreads
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle closed mostly higher on Monday after investors sold June futures and simultaneously bought deferred months in a trading strategy known as bear spreading, traders said. Weak wholesale beef prices further pressured the June contract, they said. Monday morning’s wholesale choice beef price slipped 41 cents per […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Profit-taking undercuts CME live cattle futures
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle closed lower Friday, pressured by profit-taking following futures’ sharp rally on Thursday, traders said. “Investors are looking at the fact that futures overdid it to the upside yesterday,” said Oak Investment Group president Joe Ocrant, who also cited weaker cutout values. Friday morning’s wholesale choice beef […] Read more
Russia suspends U.S. pig imports over virus fears
Moscow | Reuters — Russia said on Thursday it was suspending pig imports from the United States due to concern about outbreaks of the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv). The suspension takes effect on Friday, Russian state agricultural oversight agency Rosselkhoznadnor said in a statement. “This disease is spreading over more and more territory of […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle futures climb as funds buy
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle closed higher on Thursday, with support from fund buying after contracts broke through moving-average resistance levels, traders said. Short covering contributed to CME live cattle advances, they said. Futures drew more support from their discounts to this week’s prices for market-ready or cash cattle. Cash cattle […] Read more
PEDv re-infects U.S. farm, fuels supply fears
Chicago | Reuters — An Indiana farm has become the first to confirm publicly it suffered a second outbreak of a deadly pig virus, fueling concerns that a disease that has wiped out 10 per cent of the U.S. hog population will be harder to contain than producers and veterinarians expected. The farm, through its […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Fund buying drives CME feeder cattle to record high
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle Wednesday hit a record high on fund buying after contracts broke through technical resistance levels, traders said. “(The) technical aspect of the feeder cattle market looks fine,” said Citigroup futures specialist Sterling Smith. Fundamentally, young calves for feeding will be in demand given generally weak corn […] Read more
U of A at forefront of effort to create super-kibble
University has expertise in what’s good for Fido and Ginger — and will soon have a new $1.5-million machine for making better kibble
Reading Time: 2 minutes An increasing number of North Americans now view their pets as their children — and that’s not only made the pet food industry a very big business, but is changing what goes into their feed bowls. “Just like you see an increasing emphasis in the human population relating to food and health, the same is […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Supply worries drop CME live cattle futures
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed lower on Tuesday in anticipation of a seasonal bump in supplies that could further pressure prices for market-ready, or cash cattle, traders said. Last week, cash cattle in Texas and Kansas moved at $144 per hundredweight (cwt), $1 lower than the week before (all […] Read more
Maple Leaf’s flagship pork plant cutting days: MPC
Market conditions leading one of Canada’s major pork packers to cut operating days at its flagship western Manitoba plant aren’t likely to improve soon, the province’s hog producers warn. Toronto processor Maple Leaf Foods has announced it will cut one processing day per month from the schedule at its Brandon, Man. plant for the next […] Read more