Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures were mostly higher on Thursday, lifted by firmer cash hog markets and position squaring ahead of a quarterly hog inventory report that was released after the close. Futures have been sliding for most of the past two months as hog supplies swelled due to numerous packing plant […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hogs mostly higher ahead of USDA inventory data
CME feeder cattle firm up on lower corn prices

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures down on big supplies, economic jitters
Surge in U.S. COVID-19 cases rattles Wall Street
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures eased on Wednesday and hog futures were mostly lower on ample livestock supplies and concerns about rising coronavirus infections and their negative impact on the economy. Wall Street’s three major indexes tumbled on Wednesday and crude oil plunged more than five per cent as a surge in U.S. […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Futures rise as frozen meat stocks decline
Exporters drew down stored supplies during packer slowdowns
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle and hog futures firmed on Tuesday following two sessions of declines after U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data showed a larger-than-anticipated decline in cold-storage stocks of pork and beef. The USDA stocks report, released after the close on Monday, showed a record-large drop in U.S. frozen pork inventories in […] Read more

Animal welfare activist dies outside Ontario pork plant
Protestor reportedly hit by transport truck
An animal welfare activist has died while attending what’s been described as a “vigil” outside a southern Ontario hog packing plant, as new provincial limits on such activity around livestock are set to take effect. Halton Regional Police Service reported receiving a call Friday morning that a person had been “struck by a transport truck” […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Futures drop ahead of USDA data
Cattle on Feed report could be bearish Monday
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. livestock futures fell on Friday, as hog producers and cattle ranchers continue to struggle with a massive backlog even as many slaughterhouses come back online. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s monthly Cattle on Feed report, released Friday after the market close, showed May feedlot placements at 99 per cent compared […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures, beef prices decline
Lean hogs up amid technical buying
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures fell Thursday as boxed beef prices tumbled under pressure from rising production. Beef output has increased as meat companies increase slaughtering after temporarily closing processing plants in April and May because of outbreaks of the COVID-19 coronavirus among workers. Processors killed an estimated 120,000 cattle on Thursday, […] Read more

Hog sector hit hard by pandemic
Market weakness seen likely to push some farmers out of business
MarketsFarm — COVID-19 has hit the hog sector hard, with the double-edged sword of large supplies and reduced demand weighing heavily on the market. “The prospect of profitability at current forward prices and at current cash prices is nil… and there’s really no prospect of making anything this year,” said Tyler Fulton, director of risk […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hogs down, cattle up on demand issues
Cash cattle values hint at increased demand
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures dipped on Tuesday, as questions continued to grow about whether pork export demand from China will surge and eat through massive domestic stockpiles, traders said. Meanwhile, cattle futures rose as the cash market showed hints of increased demand from packers hungry to supply grocery stores and restaurants […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Futures up as meat production grows
Live cattle up off last week's lows
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures rose on Monday, after plunging to their lowest price in more than a month last week, amid signs of meat production increasing — even as cash market prices continue to strain livestock producers’ profits. Chicago Mercantile Exchange August live cattle rose 0.675 cents, to 96 cents (all […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures touch one-month low
Improving production pressures hog futures
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures dropped to their lowest price in more than a month on Friday, weighed down by expectations for increasing meat production. Beef output has improved as slaughterhouses have resumed operations after closing temporarily in April and May due to outbreaks of the new coronavirus among plant workers. The […] Read more