For the week ending August 3, Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were relatively unchanged from seven days earlier. Strong buying interest continued on yearlings straight off grass; however, the “just get’em” type orders that were evident a week earlier now had limits. More cattle will come available in August and buyers are being more patient to see how the market develops.

Klassen: Feeder rally stalls

U.S. livestock: Live cattle stabilize after sell-off
Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle and lean hog futures stabilized on Tuesday after sliding during the previous session on fears that the U.S. may be headed for a recession.

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures swing wildly, fall on economy concerns
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle futures plunged sharply on Friday, with back-month feeder cattle contracts setting new lows, as signs of a weakening U.S. economy spurred market participants to unwind long positions and seek cover, traders said.

U.S. Grains: Soy, grain futures turn higher on economy concerns
Chicago Board of Trade grain and soybean futures turned higher on Friday as market participants and fund traders scrambled to cover their hefty short positions on signs of the U.S. economy weakening, market analysts said.

U.S. grains: Corn prices near four-year low, trapped below $4/bushel
U.S. corn and soybean futures fell to their lowest levels in nearly four years on Thursday as forecasts for cool, rainy weather in the Corn Belt boosted yield expectations, analysts said.

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures fall amid fund selling, lower wholesale prices
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle futures turned lower on Thursday, with the most-active feeder cattle contract FCU24 falling more than two per cent, amid a flurry of fund selling and signs of weakening consumer demand.

U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures higher on technical trade; cattle futures mixed
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures firmed on technical trading and weaker wholesale prices on Wednesday, while live cattle futures ended lower on a day of choppy trade, market analysts said.

U.S. grains: Chicago corn falls below $4 on beneficial weather
Chicago December corn futures settled below $4 and hit a contract low on Wednesday as favorable U.S. crop prospects weighed and farmers began selling their hefty supplies of old crop corn, traders said.

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs turn down on seasonal dip
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live and feeder cattle futures turned higher on Tuesday as the cash cattle market remained strong, while lean hogs turned lower as traders anticipated slowing ham sales.

Klassen: Western Canadian yearling prices hit fresh record highs
The year-over-year decline in last year’s calf crop has caused the market to set new records. Larger finishing feedlots are setting the price structure as many of these lots have seasonal low inventory. The quality of yearlings coming off grass is excellent with buyers shopping for feed efficiencies.