CME August 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 100-day moving average (red line) and August 2021 lean hogs (pink open/high/low/close). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle ease as beef demand cools

CME lean hog futures mostly firm

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures dropped for a second day, following U.S. boxed beef prices lower as seasonal demand cools. “You’re still seeing boxed beef pull back, which is normal, seasonally,” said Matthew Wiegand, Risk Management Consultant at FuturesOne. “We’re past the Fourth of July — we don’t have a […] Read more

CME August 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and dark red lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures, boxed beef prices drop

Average hog weights down on week

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures approached a four-week low on Wednesday as U.S. beef prices declined. The drop in futures extended a four per cent setback from a contract high that most-active August live cattle reached last month. Prices for beef shipped to wholesale buyers in large boxes have also […] Read more



(Sollio Co-operative Group video screengrab via YouTube)

Olymel strike talks delayed to mid-month, union says

Quebec hog plant's workers on strike since late April

A two-months-and-counting strike at a major Quebec hog slaughter and processing plant is expected to continue through to mid-July at the earliest due to scheduling issues, the workers’ union says. The Syndicat des travailleurs d’Olymel Vallee-Jonction-CSN — which represents over 1,000 striking workers at Olymel’s plant Vallee-Jonction, about 60 km southeast of Quebec City — […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Maple Leaf to buy four Saskatchewan hog barns

Pork processor plans future upgrades

Two sow barns and two nursery hog barns in central Saskatchewan are set to become the property of meat processor Maple Leaf Foods. Toronto-based Maple Leaf announced Wednesday it plans to buy the four barns from Polar Pork, a group of farms spearheaded by members of the Possberg family — well known as the founding […] Read more

CME August 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines) and August 2021 live cattle (dark red line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures ease on China demand worries

CME August live cattle down

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures weakened in the two most-active contract months on Friday as traders continued to dial in expectations for waning Chinese demand, analysts said. China, the world’s biggest pork consumer, has sought to rebuild its hog herd after it was decimated by an outbreak of the deadly pig […] Read more


CME August 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines) and August 2021 live cattle (dark red line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hogs drop as domestic, export demand seen weak

CME August cattle futures up

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures fell sharply on Thursday as traders priced in expectations for waning demand after the U.S. Independence Day holiday this weekend. Signs of poor demand from China, which has been a big buyer of U.S. pork since an outbreak of African swine fever decimated production in the […] Read more

CME August 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and August 2021 live cattle (dark red line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs retreat from one-week high

CME August live cattle up, feeders lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures ended lower on Wednesday in a retreat from early gains in which the most-active contract topped a one-week high. Traders watched a rally in grain prices that makes it more expensive to feed livestock. Corn and soy futures soared at the Chicago Board of Trade […] Read more


CME August 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20- and 100-day moving averages (pink and brown lines) and August 2021 live cattle (dark red line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures touch one-week high

CME August live cattle up

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures touched a one-week high on Tuesday in a rebound from recent losses, while live cattle futures were mixed. The hog market is recovering after dropping last week to a nine-week low, traders said. Hopes for improved export demand helped support prices, traders said. CME August […] Read more

CME August 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines) and August 2021 live cattle (dark red open/high/low/close). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures rally as China buys pork

Cattle futures, beef cutout values lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures rose three per cent on Monday, supported by rising demand as China moved to buy pork for its reserves to shore up the domestic market, traders said. China’s state planner said on Monday that central and local governments will start buying pork for state reserves to […] Read more