Officials with Ontario farm groups plan to “discuss next steps” following the dismissal of charges against an animal welfare activist who gave drinks to hogs aboard a livestock trailer. Justice David Harris of the Ontario Court of Justice on Thursday dismissed a charge of criminal mischief against Anita Krajnc of the self-described “grassroots, animal rights, […] Read more
Farm groups weigh options after hog truck verdict
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs surge on stocks data, strong pork demand
Chicago/Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures climbed for a second day on Tuesday, with some contracts surging more than 3 percent, on bullish pork stocks data and seasonal buying, traders said. Prices climbed from the opening bell as the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported tighter-than-anticipated U.S. stocks of frozen pork and the tightest […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle drop from one-year peak, hogs rise
Chicago/Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle fell on Monday in a profit-taking setback after notching one-year highs for four straight days last week, traders said. Larger-than-expected cattle placements in a monthly government report issued after the market closed on Friday added pressure to start the week, with deferred contracts posting the steepest declines. “The […] Read more
Hog producers learning how to get the most out of group housing
Animal welfare concerns about gestation stalls have driven the move to group housing, but researcher says productivity doesn’t have to suffer
Reading Time: 2 minutes While the adoption of group sow housing was driven by consumers, the pork sector isn’t skipping a beat when it comes to making it work. “Through science, we have been able to show that you can achieve comparable, if not better, productivity through the group housing setting,” swine behaviour and welfare scientist Yolande Seddon told […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures again notch 1-year highs
Chicago/Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures climbed on Thursday to a one-year top for the third straight day, and deferred contracts marked fresh highs, helped by firmer wholesale beef values, traders said. April live cattle closed 1.700 cents per pound higher at 129.625 cents. June ended 0.525 cent higher at 116.475 cents and […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures up for 9th straight session
Chicago/Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rose on Wednesday for the ninth consecutive session, and hit a one-year high for a second day in a row, after cash prices exceeded expectations, traders said. April live cattle closed 1.150 cents per pound higher at 127.925 cents, and June up 0.300 cent at 115.950 cents. […] Read more
Smithfield makes move on market for pig-human transplants
Chicago | Reuters — Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer, has established a separate bioscience unit to expand its role in supplying pig parts for medical uses, with the ultimate goal of selling pig organs for transplantation into humans. Routine pig-human organ transplants are years away, but recent scientific advances are breaking down barriers […] Read more
Alberta to restore non-refundable checkoff option
Alberta’s farmed-commodity commissions may soon be able to make their checkoffs non-refundable again if their producer members are willing. The provincial government on Tuesday tabled amendments to the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act (MAPA) which would grant each of the province’s 13 agricultural commissions the ability to determine whether their checkoffs should be refundable or […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs narrowly mixed on quarter-end positioning
Chicago/Reuters – U.S. livestock futures were narrowly mixed on Friday, with live cattle edging slightly higher in a rebound from an earlier 10-day low as investors squared up their positions on the final day of the quarter, traders and analysts said. Most-active Chicago Mercantile Exchange June live cattle settled unchanged at 110.875 cents per lb, […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog prices rally on bargain buying before USDA report
Chicago/Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs finished higher on Thursday, with strength from bargain buying prior to what turned out to be a neutral U.S. government hog report after futures closed, said traders. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s quarterly hog report showed a record-large March 1 herd, with most of the data close to […] Read more
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