Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures settled firmer on Friday after a volatile day of trading before the highly anticipated U.S. Department of Agriculture quarterly hog report at 2 p.m. CT. Analysts’ estimates for USDA’s Friday report varied widely, reflecting uncertainty about how much the data will account for the impact of […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME hogs end firm in choppy action before USDA report
U.S. livestock: CME hogs limit-up on record-high cash prices
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures on Thursday jumped to their three-cents daily price limit, ignited by record-high prices for slaughter-ready or cash hogs, traders and analysts said. The morning’s hog price at the closely watched Iowa/Minnesota market surged $4.70 per hundredweight (cwt) from Wednesday to a record-high $131.49, according to the […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Bargain hunters help CME hogs pare losses
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures turned higher on Wednesday, supported by bargain hunting and short covering after 2-1/2 days of losses, traders and analysts said. Investors cited futures’ discount to CME’s hog index that touched a record high at 125.04 cents, surpassing the March 21 record of 122.57 (all figures US$). […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME hogs drop limit-down on profit-taking
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures settled down their three-cent daily price limit on Tuesday, rattled by profit-taking and a drop by wholesale pork prices, traders and analysts said. Sentiment that cash hog prices may be about to peak if packers are unable to move pork contributed to the CME hogs’ selloff, […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Profit-taking drops CME hog futures
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures fell for the first time in eight sessions, pressured by profit-taking in anticipation of prices for market-ready or cash hogs topping out soon, traders said on Monday. For more than a month, packers maintained steady or higher cash hog bids due to harsh wintry weather and […] Read more
Another hog virus arrives in Canada, PED tests find
Tests checking for the presence of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) show another virus causing diarrhea in hogs has now made its way into Canada, again in Ontario. Ontario’s Animal Health Laboratory (AHL) on March 14 confirmed swine deltacoronavirus (SDCV) in samples from six hog farms, the provincial ag ministry said Tuesday in a release. SDCV […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle slip before USDA report
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures on Friday fell modestly as investors tweaked positions before the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s monthly Cattle-on-Feed report at 2 p.m. CT, traders said. Analysts expect Friday’s data to show increased cattle placements last month as profitable margins allowed feedlots to bring in more calves for […] Read more
Russia allows U.S. pork imports from Chinese-owned Smithfield
Moscow | Reuters — Russia has allowed U.S. pork imports from two firms of Chinese-owned producer Smithfield Foods after it received additional guarantees, Russia’s veterinary watchdog (VPSS) said on its website. Russia banned most meat imports from the U.S. early last year because of concerns over the use of the feed additive ractopamine. [Related story] […] Read more
B.C. opens up feral pig hunting
Licensed hunters can now harvest feral pigs anywhere, anytime in British Columbia, following the animals’ re-designation under provincial wildlife laws. The province announced an amendment Thursday to its Wildlife Act’s designation and exemption regulation, classifying feral pigs as “schedule C” wildlife, which ranks the hogs alongside magpies and certain squirrels for hunting purposes. The new […] Read more
PEDv numbers rise in U.S. hog herd
Reuters — Confirmed cases of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) increased by 296 in the week ended March 15, bringing the total number to 4,757, according to data released on Thursday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN). The U.S. and Canadian hog industries have recently developed partnerships to research what […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
