Livestock
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures closed mostly higher on Monday as hopes for rising demand for U.S. pork exports, particularly from China, more than offset near-term pressure from plentiful hog supplies. Investor caution kept hog futures in a narrow trading range following a roller-coaster session on Friday in which the market surged […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs end mostly higher
Premier vows crackdown on protesters who trespass on farms
Occupation of turkey barn last month sparks plan for new legislation, which critics call overkill
Reading Time: 2 minutes Provincial justice officials will go after “illegal protesters” who trespass on Alberta farms, says Premier Jason Kenney. The premier and his justice and agriculture ministers travelled to the Jumbo Valley Hutterite Colony near Fort Macleod to announce tough new penalties for those conducting occupation-style protests like a recent one at the colony’s turkey farm. “Some […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs sag as traders parse USDA pork sales data
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures closed lower on Friday after a roller-coaster session in which prices jumped on news of massive weekly pork export sales, only to turn down after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said its figures could include pork sold in previous weeks. Toward the close, lean hog futures […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs slide on technical selling, China worries
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures closed lower on Thursday for a second straight session on bearish chart signals and uncertainty about export demand from China, traders said. China is facing a huge pork shortage due to an outbreak of a fatal pig disease, African swine fever. But so far the country’s purchases […] Read more
Tyson bans ractopamine from its U.S. hog supply
Reuters — Tyson Foods in February will stop buying U.S. hogs raised with a growth drug banned by China, the company said on Thursday, as global meat suppliers seek an edge in boosting sales to Chinese buyers facing a huge pork shortage due to an outbreak of a fatal pig disease. The halt in the […] Read more
Cargill suspends shifts at Kansas beef plant after explosion
Chicago | Reuters — Cargill said Thursday it had suspended some shifts at its Dodge City, Kansas beef-packing plant after an explosion injured two employees. Cargill spokesman Daniel Sullivan said the company expects the facility to be fully operational soon and that it would meet all it customer commitments. The company is investigating the cause […] Read more
There isn’t a silver bullet to prevent arthritis in horses
Proper nutrition, a sensible exercise program, foot care, and good management are the best defence
Reading Time: 4 minutes There is a popular trend in the horse industry marketing the idea of ‘basic joint maintenance,’ with marketing campaigns that emotionally drive the idea that various products can bestow a protection against arthritis. It might be an intravenous or intramuscular injection or an oral supplement but the pitch is similar — these products claim to […] Read more
Angry farmers cause Dutch police to close off parliament square
The Hague | Reuters — Police in the Dutch city of The Hague closed its central parliament square on Wednesday to keep out farmers protesting over what they see as attempts to blame them for nitrogen pollution. Thousands of irate farmers had driven tractors to The Hague hours earlier in their third large protest in […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle climb on hopes for higher cash trade
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed modestly higher on Wednesday, extending a five-week rally tied to expectations of strong prices this week for cattle in the cash market, traders said. “Cash is $1-$2 higher every week, better than what people anticipated,” said Scott Varilek, a broker at Kooima and Kaemingk Commodities Inc. […] Read more
North American pork innovation entries wanted
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Banff Pork Seminar is accepting applications for the Dr. F.X. Aherne Prize for Pork Innovation. It is open to anyone who has developed an innovation relevant to the North American pork industry, including feeding; breeding; ventilation; disease control and prevention; transportation; manure management; animal handling; facility or enterprise management; and pork quality and safety. […] Read more