Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures closed higher on Monday, buoyed by Friday’s supportive monthly Cattle on Feed report, rising wholesale beef prices and strength on Wall Street tied to hopes for a COVID-19 vaccine, traders said. “All of the above (suggest) optimism for the meat market,” said Jason Roose, analyst and broker with […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures up two per cent
U.S. feedlot data, beef prices supportive

Most of Prairies already covered in snow
MarketsFarm — Most of the Canadian Prairies were already blanked in snow by late November, with the deepest snowpack in Alberta and Saskatchewan, according to data compiled by Environment Canada and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Aside from the Rocky Mountains and some areas around the Great Lakes, the U.S. was largely […] Read more

Pandemic spurs farm gate milk price hike
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canadian Dairy Commission has set aside its usual milk price adjustment formula and is increasing the price paid to farmers by $1.46 per hectolitre effective Feb. 1. The increase “will partially offset losses incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic and market trends which have caused revenues to remain below the cost of production,” the […] Read more

ADM, InnovaFeed to build world’s biggest insect protein plant in Illinois
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain trader and processor Archer Daniels Midland and French biotech company InnovaFeed announced plans on Thursday to build the world’s largest insect protein plant at Decatur, Illinois. The announcement comes amid rising global feed grain prices and tightening supplies, and as more companies work toward reducing the carbon footprint of […] Read more

Tyson suspends staff as suit alleges managers set up COVID pool
Chicago | Reuters — Tyson Foods said Thursday it suspended employees without pay and hired former U.S. attorney general Eric Holder to conduct an investigation in response to a wrongful death lawsuit that alleges managers at an Iowa pork plant took bets on how many employees would catch COVID-19. The coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures tumble on demand worries
Corn values also weigh on feeder cattle, hogs
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle and hog futures tumbled on Thursday on worries about demand for beef and pork as soaring coronavirus infections across the country threatened more restaurant and food service closures and forced more Americans to shelter at home. Investors also fear a repeat of the livestock processing disruptions seen in the […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures retreat as COVID surge stokes demand worries
CME lean hog futures end mixed
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures fell on Wednesday as rising coronavirus infection rates stoked concerns about potential supply-chain disruptions and reduced demand for beef as health restrictions shutter restaurants and discourage travel. U.S. stocks dove on Wednesday as investors weighed surging COVID-19 infections and mounting shutdowns against encouraging vaccine developments. An April plunge […] Read more

Irritated trade partners push back on China’s coronavirus food tests
Canada rips testing as 'unjustified trade restrictions'
Beijing/Geneva | Reuters — Major food-producing countries are growing increasingly frustrated with China’s scrutiny of imported products and are calling on it to stop aggressive testing for the coronavirus, which some say is tantamount to a trade restriction. China says it has found the virus on the packaging of products from 20 countries including German […] Read more

Klassen: Calf prices ratcheting higher
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $2-$4 on either side of unchanged; mid-weight calves were also unchanged while lighter calves traded steady to as much as $6 higher. Alberta and Saskatchewan have experienced adverse weather over the past couple of weeks; however, feedlots in southern Alberta appeared to be more aggressive for […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures climb with cash market, beef prices
Lean hog futures up on short-covering
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures rose for a second straight session on Tuesday, lifted by higher cash beef prices and signs that cash cattle at feedlot auctions would trade at steady to higher prices this week. Consumer demand for beef has remained solid despite rising coronavirus infection rates that have triggered lockdowns […] Read more