Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed higher on Wednesday, bouncing off a four-month low on bargain buying along with broad-based strength in equity and commodity markets as fears subsided about the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in China. The benchmark April live cattle futures contract on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle rise on broad commodity strength
Nearby hogs down on weak cash values

North American hog markets wracked by coronavirus
MarketsFarm — Besides shutting down entire cities and killing more than 1,000 people, China’s novel coronavirus outbreak has wreaked havoc on North America’s hog futures. “It’s a dubious relationship, but it is impacting markets,” said Tyler Fulton, risk management director for Hams Marketing Services in Winnipeg. Lean hog futures moved “in concert with drops in […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle sag on weaker cash trade
Coronavirus jitters also rattle cattle markets
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. live cattle futures fell on Tuesday, with the benchmark April contract touching its lowest since late September on falling cash cattle prices and worries about the impact of the coronavirus outbreak in China, traders said. Cash cattle traded lightly in Kansas and Nebraska at $119-$120 per cwt, traders said, down […] Read more

Ethanol woes spur new feed focus for Green Plains
Biofuel maker to reinvent itself as DDGS-based feed maker
Chicago | Reuters — Green Plains Inc., one of the biggest U.S. ethanol producers, is planning to flip its business model upside down to survive a crash in prices for the corn-based fuel. The company will invest some $400 million in the next two to three years at its 13 plants to make high-protein, corn-based […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Live cattle, hogs slip on concerns over export demand
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures closed lower on Monday as optimism over export demand began to cool, and live cattle futures fell as pressure from slumping cash prices continued to weigh on the market, traders said. Benchmark April lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) settled down 1.175 cents at […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hog futures advance for second day
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures closed higher on Friday for a second session on follow-through buying after Thursday’s limit-up close and reminders of stepped-up Chinese demand for U.S. pork, traders said. Benchmark April lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) settled up 1.375 cents, at 66.25 cents/lb. (all figures US$). […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hogs limit up on Tyson comment, short-covering
Cattle futures follow hogs higher
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures surged their daily three-cent limit on Thursday after comments from a Tyson Foods executive about pork demand from China ignited a wave of buying including short-covering, traders said. Tyson is competing with other global companies to supply meat to China, the world’s largest pork consumer, as an […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs slide on export concerns
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog and cattle futures fell on Wednesday on worries that the coronavirus outbreak would stall U.S. exports of pork and beef into China, traders said. Wall Street equity markets soared on reports that scientists were developing a vaccine for the deadly virus. But hog and cattle futures on the Chicago […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs end firm in rebound after contract lows
Live cattle up on bargain buying
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures closed mostly higher on Monday, with the benchmark April contract rebounding from a life-of-contract low on slightly firmer cash markets, traders said. Rallies were capped by continued uncertainty about the impact of the coronavirus on demand for commodities in China, the world’s top pork consumer. Fears of economic […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hogs sink for third day as coronavirus spreads
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures sank to contract lows on Friday, their third straight day of declines in the fifth in the last six sessions, on worries about the coronavirus wreaking havoc on demand from China, traders said. On a continuous basis, the front-month hog futures contract hit its lowest since March 6, […] Read more