File photo of a truck arriving at a Smithfield Foods pork plant at Smithfield, Va. on Oct. 17, 2019. (Photo: Reuters/Tom Polansek)

Smithfield Foods to pay US$75 million in pork price-fixing settlement

Follows similar settlement by JBS

Reuters — Smithfield Foods has agreed to pay US$75 million to settle a lawsuit by consumers who accused the meat producer and several competitors of conspiring to inflate prices in the $20 billion-a-year U.S. pork market by limiting supply. A preliminary settlement in the antitrust case was filed on Tuesday night with the federal court […] Read more

(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Manitoba pork industry grows despite ‘uncertainty’

Bacon plant, breeding facility show sector strength

MarketsFarm — The current state of Manitoba’s pork industry is evident in a pair of large investments within the sector, according to the general manager of Manitoba Pork. Cam Dahl, who was named GM of the provincial pork organization in February last year after previously working for Manitoba Beef Producers and Cereals Canada, cited two […] Read more


File photo of piglets at a hog operation in China. (KuLouKu/iStock/Getty Images)

Federal funding lined up for programs, planning against swine fever

Two-year package to go toward pork industry work

The federal government is putting up an eight-figure funding wall to help prevent African swine fever from ever reaching Canada’s hog farms — and to prepare against any breach. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said Aug. 26 the government will provide up to $45.3 million toward a three-pronged effort to boost disease prevention and preparedness: pork […] Read more

Photo: ARS/USDA

U.S. livestock: Hog futures fall as soy prices rally

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures fell on Tuesday, with strength in the soymeal market raising the prospects of increased feeding costs. Feeder cattle contracts were also weaker due to strong corn prices while live cattle edged higher on light technical buying. CME October lean hogs LHV2 fell 1.075 cents to 92.9 cents per […] Read more


Photo: File

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures firm

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile exchange live cattle futures firmed to their highest in more than three months on Friday, while hog futures edged back toward the 13-1/2-month high hit on Wednesday. CME August live cattle futures LCQ2 settled 0.175 cent higher at 137.875 cents per lb, with the front-month contract LCc1 hitting its highest since April 29 during the […] Read more

Photo: emholk/iStock/Getty Images

U.S. livestock markets: Live cattle futures little changed after Wednesday high

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures eased slightly on Thursday, after rising to their highest in more than three months on Wednesday. CME August live cattle futures LCQ2 settled 0.2 cents lower at 137.7 cents per lb and most-active October LCV2 also ended slightly lower than Wednesday at 143.7 cents. September feeder cattle futures FCU2 were little […] Read more


Photo: Canada Beef Inc.

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures hit highest since late April

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rose to their highest in more than three months on Wednesday, supported by concerns that supplies of higher end cuts of meat will tighten in the coming weeks, traders said. CME August live cattle futures LCQ2 settled 1.325 cents higher at 137.9 cents per lb […] Read more

Lethbridge hog farmer Stan Vanessen said higher pork prices mean he is making money now but the margins are slim and many producers “don’t see a future for the industry.”

Pork industry sees uptick despite skyrocketing input costs

While returns have improved, the sector has lost about 40 per cent of its farms in the last decade

Reading Time: 4 minutes Hog farming has been a tough slog for years, but matters have improved slightly since the beginning of the pandemic, says the executive director of Alberta Pork. Unfortunately, soaring input costs are running in parallel with higher hog prices, and the industry remains in decline, said Darcy Fitzgerald. There are now an estimated 300 commercial […] Read more


Pork exports could see decline

Pork exports could see decline

Reading Time: < 1 minute Global pork exports are expected to fall this year because of reduced demand by China and the Philippines and “ample supply,” notes provincial livestock market analyst Ann Boyda, but there are also opportunities for exporters. “There are growing appetites around the globe and the largest increase in consumption may take place in developing countries,” Boyda […] Read more

Photo: File

U.S. livestock: Live cattle, feeder cattle futures rise; lean hogs end lower

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures edged higher on Monday, supported by rising feeder cattle values and firm wholesale beef prices as Labor Day, the last big grilling holiday of summer, approaches. CME August live cattle futures LCQ2 settled up 0.325 cent at 136.775 cents per lb and the most-active October […] Read more