CME October 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle up ahead of long weekend

Lean hogs follow cash hog index lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures ticked upward Thursday, while packers backed off of buying ahead of the Labour Day holiday week that will limit slaughter, analysts said. “There was some light trade today, slightly lower than last week,” said Doug Houghton, technical analyst at Brock Capital Management. “I don’t know […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs climb as traders eye seasonal supply shifts

Cattle futures down ahead of long weekend

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures climbed on Wednesday, finding support as traders gauged pork demand and watched for signs of a seasonal influx of market-ready hogs. “We still have an index that’s higher than the October. It usually doesn’t close the gap until we get into September a week or […] Read more


CME October 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle dip as traders weigh cash, consumer demand

Hog futures down on supply expectations

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures eased on Tuesday after four days of gains, as traders look for direction from consumer demand amid tight cattle supplies, analysts said. “I think we’ve been sideways for cattle now for over a month and, I guess until we see a change on the product […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Calf numbers down in Western Canada

StatCan figures a surprise to the trade

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets were relatively unchanged. Yearlings straight off grass were very well bid and prices held value. Yearlings over 800 lbs. on light grain ration were quoted $15-$20 discount to those cattle coming straight off pasture. We’re seeing heavier calves around 800 lbs. trade at $330-$340. Increased calf numbers […] Read more


CME October 2023 feeder cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle up on consumer demand, tight supplies

Labour Day weekend demand also lifts hogs

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle futures gained on Monday, supported by consumer demand and continued tightening of available cattle, analysts said. “I think we probably did get a little help here from retail movement over the last week,” said Alan Brugler, president of Brugler Marketing, noting the Labour Day holiday is […] Read more

CME October 2023 live cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle gain as heat impacts producers

Seasonal pressures drag on hog futures

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures gained on Friday as processors looked to incentivize market-ready cattle movement while producers struggled against high temperatures on the U.S. Plains, analysts said. “We saw packers willing to pay up to keep stuff moving. With the hot weather, you had probably reduced performance and a […] Read more


auto syringe

Automatic syringes a better solution

Retire those old guns that have done their duty, and get better results

Reading Time: 3 minutes Vaccinations are a cornerstone biosecurity practice for cow-calf operations and feedlots. It is not uncommon for two or more vaccines to be given twice a year. There has been lots written about proper vaccination techniques, vaccine storage, maintaining the chain of refrigeration and other things that affect the way these vaccines perform. I want to […] Read more

CME October 2023 live cattle with 20-day moving average (pink line, right index) and CME October 2023 feeder cattle (dark red line, left index). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle up on cash optimism, heat risk

Lean hogs also up on strong pork prices

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures firmed on Thursday, supported by concerns about heat stress in the U.S. Plains, as well as optimism in the cash cattle market, analysts said. “The cash outlook seems pretty firm,” said Doug Houghton, technical analyst at Brock Capital Management. ” I think there’s some support […] Read more


CCIA issues new edition of calving record book

CCIA issues new edition of calving record book

Reading Time: < 1 minute A popular calving record keeping book is getting an update. The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency says it has received positive feedback with the launch of its new calving record book. The previous incarnation was popular with producers, but the group felt it was time to make improvements. Working closely with Verified Beef Production Plus and […] Read more

Research to reduce avian influenza impact

Research to reduce avian influenza impact

Reading Time: < 1 minute After 1.4 million birds were culled on Alberta farms in 2022 due to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus, a consortium of agriculture groups is funding research at the University of Calgary aimed at lessening the disease’s impact during any future outbreaks. Results Driven Agriculture Research, Alberta Chicken Producers and Egg Farmers of Alberta awarded $733,801 […] Read more