CME December 2023 live cattle with 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs down as Middle East war sparks risk-off selling

Smithfield to shut Charlotte, N.C. plant

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures retreated on Monday while lean hog futures fell for the first time in four sessions, pressured by risk-off selling as violence erupted in the Middle East over the weekend and riled global markets. The bloodiest fighting in years between the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and Israel […] Read more

Natural movement and a ready supply of forage are equally important to horse health.

Embracing horses’ need for near-constant movement

Don’t discount natural movement; it’s important for horse health and weight management

Reading Time: 3 minutes Equine professionals, horse owners and caregivers increasingly emphasize the significance of giving horses continual access to long-stem, high-fibre, low-calorie forages. Interwoven with this ongoing forage availability, however, is another requirement that must be met: the horse’s inherent and almost constant need to move. Horses operate as grazing athletes. Their innate eating behaviours include a spectrum […] Read more



Conservative agriculture critic John Barlow speaks Nov. 24, 2021 in the House of Commons. (Screengrab from supplied video)

Anti-activist bill back before Commons committee

Bill adds protections for biosecurity, farmers' mental health, Barlow says

A bill to create harsher penalties for unlawful entry onto farms and biosecure zones is back before the House of Commons after a previous iteration died on the order table in 2021. Conservative MP John Barlow brought forward Bill C-275, “an Act to amend the Health of Animals Act (biosecurity on farms),” as a private […] Read more


A wild horse on Alberta's eastern slopes.

Feral horse management framework released

Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta has a new, science-based management framework that’s meant to recognize feral horses and ensure their future sustainability. More than 1,400 feral horses roam across six equine management zones in Alberta. Some zones face significant challenges to long-term sustainability, the province says, because of the number of horses on the landscape. Alberta’s public rangelands are […] Read more

Turning back the clock with grazing

Turning back the clock with grazing

Cattle can help fill the biodiversity void left from the loss of bison

Reading Time: 5 minutes Cattle are often maligned for their contributions to greenhouse gas levels, but Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Tim McAllister says that’s wrongheaded. “We hear about people advocating for the need to eliminate livestock from agriculture production, basically without really understanding the negative connotations that would have,” the researcher said during a recent webinar. “We really need […] Read more


CME December 2023 lean hogs with 10-, 20- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs rally, export sales in focus

Cattle futures turn lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures rallied on Thursday, with signs of strong export demand supporting prices following the market’s decline to its lowest in more than four months on Wednesday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Thursday morning that export sales of pork totaled 42,900 metric tonnes in […] Read more

CME December 2023 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hog futures break losing streak

CME cattle futures close firm

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures closed firm on Wednesday, snapping a three session losing streak as traders said that the U.S. government’s most recent bearish supply forecast had been priced into the market. Cattle futures were consolidating after posting sharp declines a day earlier, but both feeders and live cattle […] Read more


CME December 2023 live cattle with 20-, 40- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures drop on technical selling

U.S. supply outlook drags on hog futures

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures fell on Tuesday, pressured by technical selling and demand concerns, traders said. Hog futures notched their third straight losing session as the government’s bigger-than-expected supply report from last week continued to weigh on the market. The benchmark CME December lean hogs futures contract sank 0.425 cent […] Read more

File photo of cattle in an Alberta feedlot. (Geralyn Wichers photo)

Klassen: Feeder market falters at record highs

Risk premiums in market seen eroding

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $2 to as much as $8 lower on average. Calf markets were relatively unchanged to $10 lower. There was moderate demand for top quality grass yearlings but plainer types experienced softer buying interest. Pre-conditioned calves held value but unweaned bawlers appear to set back $5-$10. Seasonally, […] Read more