Beijing | Reuters — China is facing outbreaks of a debilitating virus in cattle that causes a condition called lumpy skin disease, following an incident on a farm in the eastern province of Zhejiang this week, the agriculture ministry said on Wednesday. On its website, the ministry of agriculture and rural affairs said five cases […] Read more
China reports lumpy skin disease outbreaks in cattle
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures drift lower on beef demand worries
Hog futures down off Monday's rally
Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) fell on Tuesday for a second straight session on weak wholesale beef prices and worries about consumer demand, given uncertainty about the health of the U.S. economy, traders said. CME August live cattle futures settled down 0.85 cent at 98.8 cents/lb. and […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs up on pork demand, export optimism
Feeder cattle up on lower corn prices
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures rose on Monday on signs of improving demand for pork products and optimism about export demand from China as the Asian country struggles with renewed outbreaks of a hog disease, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) August lean hog futures settled up 1.4 cents at 51.275 cents/lb., after […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures weaken, cattle futures advance
Cattle values rise as corn values drop
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures on Friday pulled back from a rally the previous session as large supplies and doubts about Chinese imports weighed on the market, analysts said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) August lean hog futures settled down 0.35 cent at 49.875 cents/lb. (all figures US$). The contract has rebounded slightly since […] Read more
They’re hard to diagnose but flukes are a concern
Unexplained weight loss is one sign that this parasite may be affecting your herd
Reading Time: 3 minutes I hear of the diagnosis of liver flukes here and there, a condition that can be hard to diagnose and has rather limited treatments. One of the first clinical signs is non-specific weight loss, which can be confused with many things. As well, having liver flukes predisposes cattle to a susceptibility to a clostridial disease […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Ham prices lead lean hog futures higher
Chicago live cattle book slight gain
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures rose on Thursday as firmer cash markets for hogs and some pork products supported thinking that the market may have bottomed out after declining for much of 2020, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) August lean hog futures settled up 2.275 cents at 50.225 cents/lb., crawling back […] Read more
It’s the people who make Alberta’s cattle sector great, says industry veteran
Reading Time: 4 minutes Rich Smith still remembers the day that the bottom fell out of the cattle market. It was the fall of 2008, and Smith was presenting at an annual Alberta Beef Producers meeting at a local auction mart. Behind him was a sign displaying the dismally low price of the afternoon’s last sale. “I’m standing there […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures, boxed beef prices weaken
October lean hogs up slightly
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live and feeder cattle futures weakened with boxed beef prices on Wednesday as large supplies of heavy livestock are ready for slaughter, commodity brokers said. Cattle heading to slaughter weigh more, analysts said, because they put on pounds as animals backed up in feedlots when meat plants closed in April […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Large supplies push cattle, hogs mostly lower
Over 17,000 cases of COVID in packing plant workers, U.S. CDC reports
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle and hog futures ended mostly lower on Tuesday under pressure from large supplies, analysts said. Live cattle futures retreated a day after nearing a two-month high, while feeder cattle pulled back after reaching their highest price in month than a month on Monday. “We’ve gotten a bit overbought on […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures rise as corn prices ease
Hog futures up slightly on improved exports
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