Talks toward a new contract for unionized employees at meat packer Olymel’s hog slaughter and processing plant in Quebec’s Beauce region have ended in a strike. The Syndicat des travailleurs d’Olymel Vallee-Jonction-CSN, which represents over 1,000 staff at Vallee-Jonction, about 60 km southeast of Quebec City, called an “indefinite” strike effective Wednesday morning, the union […] Read more
Workers call strike at Olymel hog plant in Quebec
Producers urged to prioritize heavier hogs when shipping
Montreal longshore workers escalate strike
Strike to move from part-time to full-time on Monday
Exports of containerized crops and other goods and imports of ag inputs may stall as striking longshore workers at the Port of Montreal get set to level up from part-time to full-time work stoppage. The Syndicat des debardeurs du port de Montreal (CUPE Local 375) said Friday its members, who have been striking on weekends […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures sag on technical selling
Wholesale beef prices supportive
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures closed lower on Wednesday on lacklustre cash markets, soaring feed costs and technical selling, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange June live cattle futures settled down 1.95 cents at 117.25 cents/lb., with chart-based selling accelerating as the contract fell below its 100-day moving average near 117.65 cents (all figures […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures extend slide
CME lean hogs rebound
Chicago | Reuters — CME Group live cattle futures fell on Monday, extending their slide to eight straight sessions on long liquidation and signs that surging wholesale beef prices may have reached a seasonal top, analysts said. Feeder cattle futures felt additional pressure from a jump in Chicago Board of Trade corn futures, a sign […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures fall on rising feed costs
Chicago | Reuters — CME Group cattle futures fell on Wednesday on concerns about rising feed costs as soybean, wheat and corn futures soared, traders said. Fund selling also weighed on the cattle market. The most-active June live cattle futures contract has closed lower for five days in a row after setting a fresh high […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures edge higher after limit down move
CME cattle futures weak
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures firmed slightly on Tuesday after falling their daily trading limit in the previous session. Traders said the market had run out of steam after rallying to their highest since June 2014 last week. “There no doubt remains questions about the belly’s staying power at these levels […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs limit-down off highest in nearly seven years
Follow-through selling drags on live cattle
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile exchange lean hog futures dropped sharply on Monday, with numerous contracts closing down the daily three-cent limit on a round of profit-taking after the front-month contract hit its highest since June 2014 last week. “We have had a strong run and we are coming up a little bit short […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs gain as swine fever worries open up export markets
Boxed beef values lift live cattle futures
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange jumped higher on Wednesday on fears of African swine fever rising across parts of Asia, as well as tight domestic supply as the U.S. rebuilds its hog herd after culling during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, analysts said. The Philippines reduced […] Read more
Why does the reference margin limit matter?
Reading Time: 2 minutes The reference margin limit was made part of AgriStability in 2013 and the federal government says removing it will increase payments for farmers from the program by $75 million annually. But while most farm groups said the change is a positive one, the Canadian Pork Council said it would do “very little” for its members. […] Read more
U.S. pork processors face higher costs, slower speeds after court ruling
Chicago | Reuters — An industry group representing America’s biggest meatpackers on Thursday pushed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to appeal a federal court decision that canceled an agency rule that allows pork plants to slaughter pigs more quickly. The decision issued Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Minnesota could raise costs for meatpackers like […] Read more
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