Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking to reassure meat producers it will keep slaughterhouses staffed with federal inspectors as fears about potential shutdowns due to the COVID-19 coronavirus hammer livestock prices and fuel concerns about food supplies, meat industry groups said on Monday. Livestock markets have been hit hard as […] Read more
U.S. under pressure to keep slaughterhouses open
Klassen: Feeder market absorbs double-edged sword
Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $3 to as much as $6 lower. The feed grains market is writing the story for the feeder market. August feeder cattle futures lost $10 this past week and U.S. cash feeder prices were also down US$4-$6 compared to seven days earlier. Ideas are that […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market continues to soften
Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $3-$5 lower on average with some auctions down $5 to as much as $8. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis at $258 delivered, down $15 from the April highs. Feeding margins have slid into negative territory quite rapidly and could be […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle succumb to negative margins
Alberta fed cattle prices have dropped nearly $15 over the past three weeks. Feedlot margins are deep in red ink, with losses amounting to $200-250 per head. Compared to last week, yearlings and calves over 700 lbs. traded $3-$5 lower; calves under 700 lbs. were down $5-$8 with some feeder markets in Alberta dropping as […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME hogs slip on weaker cash
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures closed lower on Friday, following softening cash hog prices, traders said. CME February hog futures settled down 1.425 cents at 62.65 cents/lb., halting a three-session advance (all figures US$). Traders noted that hogs in the top cash market of Iowa and southern Minnesota traded […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle hit six-week high on technical buying
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures rose sharply for the second straight session on Wednesday, reaching a six-week high, on technical buying and expectations that beef packers would pay higher prices for cattle this week, traders said. Cattle futures had declined earlier on Tuesday before turning higher and then surpassing the previous session’s […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market searching for direction
Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were quite variable from seven days earlier. Prices were unchanged in the eastern Prairie regions; however, Alberta markets traded $3 to as much as $7 below week-ago levels. Alberta and Saskatchewan feedlot inventories are running 16 per cent above year-ago levels, so there’s limited buying power available. Calves are fleshier […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs decline as cash values soften
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures fell on Monday on softer cash values and reduced demand for hogs from packers who were cutting kills, traders said. Live cattle futures were modestly lower while feeder cattle ended mixed, with front-month January declining and back months firming. Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell despite […] Read more
Prairies’ dry weather may stem U.S. cattle stampede north
Winnipeg | Reuters — Parched pastures and crops in Western Canada are driving up cattle-feeding costs, and farmers and analysts expect the changing economics to stem a recent stampede of U.S. cattle being brought over the border. Canada imported 65,035 head of cattle from the U.S. from January through June, nearly double the pace of […] Read more
Klassen: Fed cattle market leads yearlings higher
Compared to last week, yearlings traded $3 to as much as $6 higher. While many auction barns were on holidays, buyers had a full deck of orders for the limited supplies on hand. Many buyers and few sellers characterized the market environment. The quality of cattle is quite variable at this time of year but […] Read more
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