CME December 2020 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Domestic demand boosts hog futures

Feed grain prices drag on feeder cattle

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures leapt to their highest price since May 2019 on Friday on strong domestic demand for pork, while feeder cattle futures tumbled to a three-month low. Gains in the swine market extend a rally driven by rising cash prices for hogs and demand from consumers. “Domestic demand has been […] Read more

New slimmed-down Alberta Beef Producers readies for launch

Nominations must be submitted by Oct. 15

Reading Time: < 1 minute Election time is drawing near for Alberta Beef Producers. It’s been nearly a year since it approved a re-org that cuts its number of zones by nearly half and reduces the number of delegates by one-third. The organization is now accepting nominations for delegates (seven each) in its new five zones (northwest, northeast, central, southwest […] Read more



Pork innovators urged to enter contest

Pork innovators urged to enter contest

Entry deadline Oct. 31

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Banff Pork Seminar is going virtual this year but the tradition of awarding the FX Aherne Prize for Innovative Pork Production will continue. The contest is open to anyone who has developed an innovation — big or small — that is relevant to the North American pork industry. “The creativity and innovation of entries […] Read more


This photo was taken back in the days when Alberta Pork was the single-desk seller of hogs in the province. While returning to a single desk might not be possible, hog producers should consider collective marketing, the farm organization argues.

Alberta Pork urges producers to consider marketing co-op

Banding together would fix a ‘broken’ system and force packers to pay a fair price, says organization

Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta Pork is urging hog farmers in the province to band together to force packers to pay a fair price for their animals. And that includes thinking about returning to a single-desk model or forming marketing co-operatives to “shift the balance of power back to producers.” In an analysis of the sector covering the past […] Read more

(Sansubba/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. indicts six more chicken-industry execs over alleged price fixing

Case alleges executives conspired to inflate prices for broilers

Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. government has indicted six more chicken-industry executives over alleged price-fixing, broadening antitrust prosecutions in its probe of the US$65 billion poultry sector. In June, the Justice Department indicted Pilgrim’s Pride CEO Jayson Penn and three others in its first charges in the criminal probe involving broiler birds, which account […] Read more


CME October 2020 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures up on pork demand, cash prices

November feeder cattle touch lowest level since July 2

Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. hog futures extended gains on Wednesday and the front-month contract reached its highest price in about a year due to strength in the cash market, traders said. Solid pork demand has underpinned cash prices in the face of large hog supplies. The U.S. pork cutout, an indication of wholesale pork […] Read more

(Regis Lefebure photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. livestock: Cash market strength boosts hog futures

Cash cattle values also boost live cattle

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures rose to their highest in more than a year on Tuesday, rallying to keep pace with recent gains in the cash market. The cash market strength stemmed from continued good demand even as the traditional U.S. grilling season draws to a close with the weather turning cooler. “There’s […] Read more


The situation was grim in late spring when the backlog of market-ready cattle hit 130,000. But the outlook has greatly improved after packers processed an additional 32,000 animals than usual this summer.

‘Light at the end of the tunnel’ as cattle backlog numbers fall

The number of market-ready cattle remains high, but packers have made good progress since spring

Reading Time: 4 minutes In spite of producers’ fears in the spring, things seemed to have settled out a little bit in the cattle market. The shutdown of Cargill in High River and the slowdown of JBS in Brooks left a backlog of cattle that many worried would pummel calf prices this fall. “Our processing was limited in the […] Read more

Boosting reproductive efficiency, using better genetics, and implementing better management practices are aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

New beef masterplan links environment to improved profitability

New beef strategy says ranchers can boost profits while cutting greenhouse gas emissions

Reading Time: 5 minutes Capturing carbon and reducing greenhouse gas emissions are two key goals in the newly updated national beef strategy. While these goals may seem contentious to some producers, it’s important to show the public that the beef sector is progressive and doing its part when it comes to combatting climate change as well as protecting the […] Read more