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Brazilian state launches mandatory tracking of cattle to stop deforestation

The state government plans to track all 24 million cattle in the Para region by the end of 2026

Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazil’s Para state, which leads the country for the highest levels of Amazon rainforest destruction, will launch a mandatory program to track cattle in a bid to crack down on related deforestation, a partner in the project said on Friday. Cattle pasture is the most common initial use for deforested […] Read more

CME February 2024 live cattle with 10-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle drop on fund selling, beef demand concerns

Chicago lean hogs continue higher

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures dropped on Thursday after two sessions of gains, pressured by fund long liquidation and as higher corn feed prices and worries about demand for high-priced beef cuts hung over the market. Technical selling accelerated the break, the live cattle market’s sixth in the last eight sessions, […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle gain for second straight day after selloff

Chicago lean hog futures also firm

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures rose for a second consecutive session on Wednesday on short covering and follow-through technical and bargain buying after the market plunged to multi-month lows to start the week. Improving packer margins and futures’ steep discount to cash cattle prices also supported the market following the fund-selling […] Read more

Ducks Unlimited Canada’s Kristine Tapley says the focus is on unproductive cropland.

Farmers urged to use marginal land for forage

Ducks Unlimited Canada, Farm Credit Canada lauch program to turn uneconomical farmland into perennial forage

Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – A new program sponsored by Ducks Unlimited Canada and supported by Farm Credit Canada hopes to spur producers to turn uneconomical farmland into perennial forage. The Marginal Areas Program on the Prairies is open to producers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, with DUC providing financial support to convert unproductive cropland to forage […] Read more


CME February 2024 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle up on short covering, discount to cash

Short covering also lifts CME hogs

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures surged on Tuesday in a short-covering rebound from multi-month lows in the prior session, supported by the market’s steep discount to cash market prices. Feeder cattle futures rose by as much as the daily trading limit, triggering expanded limits for both feeders and live cattle for […] Read more

CME February 2024 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Fund selling sends CME cattle to multi-month lows

February hogs touch contract low

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures tumbled sharply for a second straight session on Monday on fund long liquidation, technical selling and concerns about slowing beef demand and rising supplies. Actively traded February live cattle dropped to an eight-month low while several deferred-month contracts posted life-of-contract lows. January feeder cattle plunged more […] Read more


Producers using a new moisture insurance program are getting payouts, AFSC says.

Locked out of drought help? Give moisture insurance a try

Moisture deficit insurance may help drought-stricken livestock producers in the future

Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta livestock producers frozen out of the new Canada-Alberta Drought Livestock Assistance program may want to consider an under-utilized insurance program in the future, said a representative from the program administrators. The AgriRecovery-based program was recently introduced to help livestock producers who faced extraordinary costs accessing feed in 2023. However, it doesn’t cover all of […] Read more

CME February 2024 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle collapse to March lows

Chicago February hogs set contract low

Chicago | Reuters — Cattle futures sank to their lowest levels in nearly eight months at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Friday on increased concerns about easing demand for U.S. beef. Technical selling accelerated the slide after funds recently liquidated long positions, traders said. “We don’t know what demand is going to be a year […] Read more


We all know accidents with livestock are a nightmare scenario, so anyone with livestock handling experience may be a first responder’s best resource...

Be ready to help if livestock involved in accidents

First responders can benefit from local livestock knowledge when disaster strikes

Reading Time: 3 minutes Every day hundreds of thousands of animals are transported across Canadian highways without mishap, but every so often, there is an unfortunate accident with animal deaths and injuries. Alberta has developed an emergency network because of the huge numbers of cattle transported to feedlots and packing plants. While this network is invaluable, there’s also an […] Read more

CME February 2024 lean hogs with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs mixed after approaching four-week low

Chicago cattle futures end lower

Chicago | Reuters — Lean hog futures hit their lowest level in about four weeks on Wednesday before ending mixed as traders adjusted positions before the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. The market has dropped about eight per cent since rising on Nov. 7 to the highest price in more than a month, as ample U.S. supplies […] Read more