Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures rose on Thursday with feeder cattle leading the pack, as corn prices eased on profit taking ahead of the long holiday weekend, analysts said. Thursday’s feeder cattle rally was due in part to a slump in corn futures, traders said. Earlier this week, the most-active contract surged amid […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures rise as corn prices ease
Hog futures up slightly on improved exports

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures rise on new-month buying
Hogs mostly down on concerns over supplies, demand
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed higher on Wednesday on what appeared to be technical and speculative buying at the start of a new month and quarter, analysts said. Yet the benchmark August live cattle contract on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange remained rangebound, with rallies capped by weak beef prices as slaughterhouses […] Read more

Packing plants back on track, but future uncertain
With a huge backlog of animals to work through, cattle groups are fearful of what comes next
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta’s beef-packing plants are working at or near full capacity but the crisis is not over yet, say cattle leaders. “Our processing capacity has continued to increase over the past few weeks and cattle prices have been relatively strong, but markets are still vulnerable to a disruption in the processing plants,” Alberta Beef Producers chair […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures drift lower as corn prices soar
Wholesale beef prices show signs of stabilizing
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures closed modestly lower on Tuesday, pressured by a surge in Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) corn futures that is likely to squeeze profit margins for livestock producers, traders said. “The rise in feed costs changes the dynamics in the industry. It cuts into profits — or in the […] Read more

Meat leads Canadian industrial producer prices higher in May
Ottawa | Reuters — Canadian industrial producer prices rose 1.2 per cent in May on higher prices for meat, fish and dairy products, Statistics Canada said on Monday, as supply chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic and increased demand boosted meat prices. The gain in producer prices followed four months of consecutive decreases and […] Read more

Chinese researchers warn of new virus in pigs with human pandemic risk
Shanghai | Reuters — A new flu virus found in Chinese pigs has become more infectious to humans and needs to be watched closely in case it becomes a potential “pandemic virus,” a study said, although experts said there is no imminent threat. A team of Chinese researchers looked at influenza viruses found in pigs […] Read more

Klassen: Feeder cattle market experiences mixed tone
Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle sold $2 higher to as much as $4 lower. Larger groups of uniform cattle once again carried a premium but the bulk of feeders were small packages of various quality. Buyers were more aggressive on the 700- to 850-lb. weight categories as they target the fed cattle […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs end firm on light recovery bounce
Ramped-up slaughter pace keeps lid on rallies
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed modestly higher on Monday, shaking off early declines and firming on technical buying ahead the end of the month and quarter, after a three-session slide last week, traders said. A firmer close in Wall Street equity markets lent support as optimism about the U.S. economy could […] Read more

Blast kills at least 23 at Afghanistan livestock market
Area shelled in clashes between government forces, Taliban
Kabul | Reuters — At least 23 civilians were killed in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province and dozens were wounded when rockets hit a cattle market on Monday, Afghan government and Taliban officials said. The warring sides blamed each other for the attack on the open-air weekly cattle market in Sangin district, where hundreds of villagers […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hogs tumble on bigger-than-expected supply, economic concerns
Rising COVID-19 counts raise fears for beef demand
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures plunged by as much as the daily trading limit on Friday and ended sharply lower after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimated supplies above already-high trade expectations. Economic concerns amid rising novel coronavirus infections added pressure to hogs and also dragged down cattle futures, which finished […] Read more