Chicago / Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures on Thursday slumped to a five-year low in anticipation of increased supplies that could further pressure wholesale beef prices, traders said. August live cattle ended 1.900 cents per lb lower at 107.525 cents, and October closed 2.375 cents lower at 105.700 cents. Affordable grain reduced cattle input costs which translates into plenty […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle futures plunge to five-year low on supply worries
U.S. livestock: Lower cash, beef prices again sink CME live cattle futures
Chicago / Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures’ extended their losses on Wednesday from the previous session, led by the morning’s lower cash and wholesale pork prices, traders said. August live cattle ended 0.975 cent per lb lower at 109.425 cents, and October closed 1.400 cents lower at 108.075 cents. A small number of market-ready, or cash cattle in […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Technical selloff upends CME live cattle futures
Chicago / Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts closed sharply lower on Tuesday, undercut by technical-related selling that wiped out Monday’s gains, traders said. They said August futures led losers after investors periodically sold that contract and simultaneously bought deferred months in a trading strategy known as bear spreading. August live cattle ended 2.050 cents per lb lower […] Read more
U.S. pork packing plant boom may boost hog prices
Chicago / Reuters – The U.S. pork industry could be heading for higher hog prices as processing plants come on line at an unprecedented rate with packers investing millions of dollars to satisfy the appetite of protein-hungry China, industry analysts said. Pork packers including Seaboard Foods and Triumph Foods, who slaughter hogs and turn them into […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle futures shrug off early selling
Chicago / Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts settled higher on Monday after short-covering and futures’ discounts to late last week’s cash prices offset early-session losses, traders said. August live cattle ended 1.525 cents per lb higher at 112.450 cents, and finished above the 20-day moving average of 112.05 cents. October closed 0.775 cent […] Read more
Feds and province fund Maple Leaf bacon plant
The governments of Canada and Manitoba have announced funding of $500,000 toward an expansion of Maple Leaf Food’s bacon processing plant in Winnipeg. The announcement was made Monday at the plant by federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler. A release said Maple Leaf Food’s investment in the bacon line expansion […] Read more
June U.S. hog herd unexpectedly climbs to record high
Reuters — The U.S. hog herd in the March-May quarter rose two per cent to a record high versus a year ago, according to Friday’s U.S. Department of Agriculture report, which exceeded most analysts’ forecasts. Farmers added to their herds due to affordable feed, strong U.S. pork export demand and gradual price improvement for their […] Read more
Olymel plans major expansion for Quebec hog plant
The meat packing arm of Quebec’s La Coop federee has budgeted $25 million for a major expansion project at its hog slaughter and butchering plant at St-Esprit, Que. Olymel’s expansion plan, announced Tuesday, is expected to bring the plant’s floor space to over 215,000 square feet, up by about 35,000 square feet, and boost its […] Read more
Canada’s hog farmers suspect U.S. truck washes in PED fight
Reuters — Canadian farm groups are blasting U.S. truck washes for being too dirty to prevent the spread of a virus that has killed millions of piglets in recent years, exposing a dispute over the effectiveness of such facilities in North American agriculture. The brewing battle over trucks comes as Manitoba, which slaughters more swine […] Read more
Fewer downers being shipped, says hog exchange
An undercover video showing abuse has prompted widespread changes at the hog assembly yard
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Red Deer hog assembly yard at the heart of animal abuse allegations almost two years ago has seen industry-wide improvements in animal handling. “Since the Mercy for Animals incident, we have made significant strides in improving our level of animal care and husbandry,” said Brent Moen, chair of the Western Hog Exchange. “And I […] Read more
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