Livestock
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures for April delivery, the most actively traded contract, firmed for the fourth day in a row on Wednesday on good end-user demand. The contract hit an all time-high of 128.15 cents/lb. during Wednesday’s session but closed slightly below that peak (all figures US$). The front-month […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle mostly higher on good demand, cold concerns
Livestock tax deferral map expands again for 2018
Some northern and southwestern Ontario producers who had to sell breeding livestock due to drought in the 2018 tax year can now defer chunks of the income from those sales when filing their income taxes. The federal government on Wednesday rolled out its final list and map of designated regions for 2018 under its livestock […] Read more
‘Smart barn’ technology is on its way for pork producers
Sensors and software monitor pigs — and workers — in real time and in new ways
Reading Time: 2 minutes There is no argument new smart technologies are coming in swine production, says an expert in monitoring and task automation in livestock facilities. Tom Stein, senior strategic adviser for Quebec-based Maximus Systems, gave nine examples of “smart barn” technologies already in use or on the way at the recent Banff Pork Seminar. “One must remember, these […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Feeder cattle weak as temperatures fall
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures were mostly firmer on Tuesday, with the most-active April contract hitting an all-time high, due to strong domestic demand, traders said. Feeder cattle futures were mixed, with the nearby contracts easing as temperatures in key livestock production regions of the U.S. are forecast to plummet […] Read more
Unusual third assessment run for livestock tax deferrals
In an unusual move, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has undertaken a third assessment for the federal livestock tax deferral. “Federal officials are currently finalizing the analysis to identify whether any additional regions have met the criteria for the livestock tax deferral,” AAFC spokesperson James Watson said. Under the deferral plan, cattle producers affected by severe […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market easily absorbs adverse weather
Western Canadian feeder markets were relatively unchanged from week-ago levels but there were a couple of unique characteristics in certain regions. Quality yearling packages were $2-$4 higher in Alberta but fleshier replacements were discounted. Eastern Prairie regions had grass cattle under 600 lbs. trading $3 to as much as $8 above week-ago levels. Order buyers […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs mostly lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures closed mostly lower on Monday, with the market still technically weak despite four straight days of declines last week. The most-active April hog contract managed to close slightly higher on a mild bargain-buying bounce after hitting its lowest since mid-August. But most hog contracts were weaker. […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs sink on big supplies, poor exports
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures fell sharply on Friday, with the most active April contract hitting its lowest in more than five months, as disappointing export demand failed to ease the supply glut in the United States. “The trade was very enthused that we were going to see all this Chinese […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME hogs weaken on technical selling, demand uncertainty
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures eased on Thursday on a round of technical follow-through selling after declining on Wednesday, traders said. Weakness in the cash market, as well as uncertainty about demand from China, also weighed on the hog market. CME February lean hogs closed Thursday at 59.825 cents/lb., down from […] Read more
Officials continue all-out effort to prevent spread of PED
Authorities say it’s ‘good news’ that the devastating disease hasn’t spread, but don’t know how it got here
Reading Time: 3 minutes Contain and pray it doesn’t spread. That sums up the approach officials are taking following the arrival of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) in the province. So far, tests for the PED virus at other farms, assembly yards, abattoirs, and truck washes have come back negative. However, officials also don’t know how the virus made its […] Read more