Western Canadian feeder cattle prices experienced a week-over-week decline of $12-$15 on average, with fleshier unweaned calves trading down $20-$25. Major feedlot operators reined in buying interest across the Prairies as fed cattle and wholesale beef prices remain under pressure. Feeding margins continue to deteriorate beyond pain thresholds and the backlog of market-ready feedlot supplies […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle market falls sharply
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle retreat with beef quotes
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures suffered sizable losses on Monday, with slumping wholesale beef values increasing the possibly of further cash price weakness ahead, traders said. Spot December ended down 1.925 cents/lb., to 119.525 cents, and February 1.85 cents lower at 124.4 (all figures US$). The Monday morning wholesale choice […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Bearish fundamental outlook pressures CME live cattle
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures posted modest losses on Friday in anticipation of soft cash and wholesale beef values in the weeks ahead, traders said. Spot December ended down 0.1 cent/lb. to 121.45 cents, and February 0.275 cent lower at 126.25 (all figures US$). “Until we can get a prolonged […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Short-covering boosts CME live, feeder cattle
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts closed higher on Thursday, driven by short-covering that gradually gave way to this week’s lower cash prices and lacklustre wholesale beef demand, traders said. Spot December closed 1.7 cents/lb. higher at 121.55 cents, and February up 2.375 cents, to 126.525 (all figures US$). “It’s just […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live, feeder cattle stampede to new lows
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures on Wednesday tumbled to the lowest level for the life of the contract, hit by slumping prices for market-ready (cash) cattle, traders said. Spot December closed 2.4 cents/lb. lower at 119.85 cents, after marking a fresh contract low of 119.25 cents (all figures US$). February […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle end mostly lower after rocky session
Chicago | Reuters — Most Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts landed in negative territory on Tuesday after an up-and-down day of trading stirred by short-covering and uncertainty about near-term cash prices, traders said. Spot December closed up 0.625 cent, to 122.25 cents/lb., February ended down 0.075 cent, to 127.075, and April 0.4 cent lower, […] Read more
Disease-resistant pigs latest win for gene editing technology
London | Reuters — A British animal genetics firm, working with U.S. scientists, has bred the world’s first pigs resistant to a common viral disease, using the hot new technology of gene editing. Genus, which supplies pig and bull semen to farmers worldwide, said on Tuesday it had worked with the University of Missouri to […] Read more
U.S. livestock: COOL news weighs on CME live cattle, hogs
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell on Monday, partly led by the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) ruling against the U.S. in a meat-labeling dispute, said traders. Canada and Mexico may impose tariffs worth $1 billion onto U.S.-traded products, a WTO panel ruled on Monday, as the countries prepared to retaliate […] Read more
WTO dials back Canada’s COOL retaliation
Canada will be able to take only about a third of the revenge it asked the World Trade Organization to authorize over the United States’ country-of-origin labelling (COOL) law. An arbitration panel of the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) ruled Monday that Canada and Mexico may now ask the DSB to authorize annual retaliatory tariffs, […] Read more
Maple Leaf to upgrade stunning process, ‘accelerate’ on sow housing
Pledging to upgrade its hog and poultry stunning processes, speed up its timeline on sow housing and step up its game on facility audits, livestock pain management and reduced antibiotic use, Maple Leaf Foods said Friday it’s now set to carve an animal care agenda into formal company policy. The major Canadian meat processor on […] Read more