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

U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle near one-month low as corn jumps

Hogs up on China demand optimism

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle futures neared a one-month low on Tuesday as rising grain prices signaled risks for increased costs for livestock feed, brokers said. Unconfirmed reports that Russian missiles crossed into NATO member Poland fueled gains in corn, wheat and soy futures as traders worried about escalating geopolitical tensions. […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Adverse weather limits demand for calves

Stronger Canadian dollar adds pressure

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices were steady to $2 higher. Calves traded steady to $10 lower in Alberta while markets in Saskatchewan and Manitoba were quoted $5 lower to $2 higher. Adverse weather resulted in a softer tone for calves with Lethbridge temperatures dipping to -25 to -33 C last week. The […] Read more


CME February 2023 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (pink line) and CME December 2022 live cattle (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle end mostly lower

December, February hog futures up

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle futures closed mostly lower on Monday on technical selling and worries about consumer demand for high-priced cuts of beef, traders said. Most-active CME February live cattle futures settled down 0.7 cent at 152.55 cents/lb. (all figures US$). Deferred contracts also ended lower, but the spot […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: CME futures fall on grain rally

Beef cutout price drops

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) livestock futures slid on Friday as grain futures rallied, underpinned by strong commodities and equities markets, brokers said. The downward trend started when live cattle markets took a hit earlier in the day, when the feeder cattle traders began selling off their positions as corn futures firmed […] Read more


Brazilian meatpacker JBS SA’s logo on a tower in Jundiai, northwest of Sao Paulo in southeastern Brazil, on June 1, 2017. (File photo: Reuters/Paulo Whitaker)

Meatpacker JBS’s plunging profit beats forecasts

Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazil’s JBS SA, the world’s largest meat producer, on Thursday said quarterly profit plunged 47.1 per cent, but results still beat analysts’ estimates as higher revenues helped offset shrinking margins in its U.S. beef division. The company posted a third-quarter net profit of 4.01 billion reais (C$1.001 billion), while analysts […] Read more

CME December 2022 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle firm as grain markets pressured

Hogs under seasonal price pressure

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures firmed at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) on Thursday, as grain markets came under pressure from investor profit-taking even as the U.S. dollar tumbled on news U.S consumer prices rose less than expected in October, brokers said. December live cattle settled 1.5 cents higher at 153.075 cents/lb. February […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle settle lower as Wall Street slides

Feeder cattle, lean hogs also weaker

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures slipped at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) on Wednesday as the market came under pressure from steep losses in equities and a lack of supportive news, brokers said. December live cattle settled 1.475 cents lower at 151.575 cents/lb. (all figures US$). February live cattle dropped 0.625 cent to […] Read more

At a field day last month, Mike Groot explains how he set up the livestock water and fencing for his 24-acre series of test plots at his family’s farm for the Living Labs soil health research initiative.

Test plot measures the benefits of grazing in crop rotation

Researchers studying impact of including pasture in a cash crop rotation at Ontario farm

Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – They’ve been dubbed “crazy strips,” but there’s a method to Mike Groot’s patchwork of perennial pasture stands within a larger plot trial. The Ontario farmer is a participant in a project being conducted under the Living Labs initiative, a federal program that tests innovative practices and technologies on farms. Groot is hoping the […] Read more


Economics of herd rebuilding depend on cull rate, study finds

Economics of herd rebuilding depend on cull rate, study finds

Retaining heifers works best if culling wasn’t too severe, but economies of scale are key

Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – A farm’s best plan when it comes to rebuilding the cattle herd after drought may have a lot to do with how deeply it had to cull, according to the Beef Cattle Research Council study. The study drew information from 17 farms registered with the council’s cow-calf production network from Western Canada […] Read more

CME December 2022 lean hogs with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs end lower, consolidate after rally

December live cattle futures flat

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures pulled back on Tuesday as the market consolidated after climbing nearly five per cent during the previous session, brokers said. CME December hogs closed 1.475 cents, or 1.7 per cent, lower at 85.575 cents/lb. (all figures US$). Wholesale pork prices were also lower. The U.S. […] Read more