Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures climbed to a near three-week high on Friday as strong demand and improved pork packer margins sparked buying ahead of the weekend, traders said. Another solid week of pork export sales added support, soothing concerns about rising supplies of market-ready hogs, they said. “Demand is […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures rise on good demand
Cattle futures mostly lower
U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs mostly down on weak margins, inflation worries
Beef packer margins in negative territory
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle and hog futures ended mostly lower on Thursday on eroding meat packer margins and as soaring inflation raises demand concerns, traders said. Technical selling and profit-taking further fueled declines in livestock futures after live cattle and lean hog contracts touched 2-1/2-week highs this week. A U.S. Labor […] Read more
Follow the money: benchmarking can tell you where to look
National cow-calf cost of production network offers insights on boosting profitability
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – The Beef Cattle Research Council wants the third and final year of data collection to fill gaps in a national cow-calf cost of production network. The goal is to allow producers to compare metrics with farms in their region that share the same management practices. “Are you competitive and comparable with others […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle mostly up with consumption forecast
Chicago lean hogs also up on day
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures ended mostly firmer on Wednesday as wholesale beef prices stabilized after a recent slide and as a monthly government report helped to temper concerns about waning consumption. Gains were capped by eroding beef packer margins, although cattle demand is likely to remain high this week […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle firm as packer margins turn negative
Lean hog futures settle lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures firmed on Tuesday as supplies tighten, with beef packer margins falling into the negative for the first time in years, traders said. Beef packers lost $14.35 per head on Tuesday, compared to earnings of $1.60 a day earlier and $18.40 the week before, according to […] Read more
Take the long view by preparing for next year right now
There are several things to be thinking about now, including federal cash that’s up for grabs
Reading Time: 3 minutes Prepare for more dry times, grab hold of federal climate cash and keep watch for meaningful government action on the processing side. Those are three key recommendations from a prominent educator, a producer and a farm leader on positioning the ranch for 2023. Rainfall patterns have been different in the last three to five years […] Read more
Schoepp: What produces more waste — a feedlot or a cruise ship?
Feedlot waste gets a lot of scrutiny by consumers while shipping gets a free pass
Reading Time: 3 minutes During a recent agricultural discussion, the chat centred around the public’s perception of animal agriculture and waste. As I had recently been at sea, our conversation shifted to the ocean being used as a dumping ground for human sewage and other waste. I became curious. What produces more waste — a feedlot or a ship, […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures firm on technical buying
Cattle futures close mostly lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures firmed for the second day in a row on Thursday, with technical buying supporting prices following the market’s bounce from a 10-month low on Wednesday, traders said. CME December lean hog futures settled up 1.275 cents at 77.775 cents/lb. (all figures US$). Front-month October hogs […] Read more
Bovine Gastronomy: It turns out that garlic pairs well with minerals
Alberta researcher finds cattle will consume more mineral if it’s flavoured with fresh garlic
Reading Time: 3 minutes Just like many people do, cattle enjoy the taste of garlic, and as with humans, many swear the ‘stinking rose’ offers numerous health benefits for bovines. Garlic is rumoured to entice cattle to consume more minerals, have anti-fungal properties and even discourage horn flies from pestering them. “You would find these anecdotes on blogs,” said […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME hogs up off 10-month low on bargain-buying
Live cattle also up on technical buying
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures closed higher on Wednesday on bargain buying, a day after the benchmark December contract fell to a 10-month low, traders said. CME December lean hog futures settled up 2.075 cents at 76.5 cents/lb. (all figures US$). Front-month October hogs ended up 3.8 cents, at 90.8 […] Read more
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