A major Prairie hog slaughter and processing plant relatively untouched by the COVID-19 pandemic has marked its first case of the coronavirus in a production line worker. Olymel, the meat packing arm of Quebec ag co-operative Sollio, said an employee who reported for work Monday last week at its Red Deer, Alta. plant began showing […] Read more
Red Deer hog plant books first COVID case
One employee confirmed with virus, 13 isolating as precaution, company says
U.S. livestock: Live cattle step back after eight-session climb
Hog sector seen having 'curbed expansion'
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures pulled back on Monday in profit taking ahead of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cattle on Feed report at the end of the week, traders said. Live cattle fell for the first day after eight sessions of gains. The pullback reflects uncertainty about the USDA […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures fall after bearish export reports
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog and cattle futures fell on Thursday, pressured by signs of declining export demand for U.S. supplies. The U.S Agriculture Department on Thursday morning said that beef export sales totaled 15,100 tonnes in the week ended July 30, down 50.8 per cent from the 30,700 tonnes reported a […] Read more
Union seeks temporary halt for major Manitoba hog plant
Four Maple Leaf plant staff now COVID-positive
The union for about 2,000 workers at Maple Leaf Foods’ main Canadian hog slaughter and packing plant is calling for the company to put the brakes on production, pending further tests for COVID-19 among employees. United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 832 said Thursday it was “made aware” late Wednesday night of three more […] Read more
COVID-19 case confirmed at Maple Leaf hog plant
A worker at Maple Leaf Foods’ hog slaughter and processing plant at Brandon, Man. is recovering at home after testing positive for COVID-19, the Manitoba Co-operator has reported. The company said it received word over the long weekend about the case. Citing its own review of the situation and consultation with public health officials, the […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures drift lower on beef demand worries
Hog futures down off Monday's rally
Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) fell on Tuesday for a second straight session on weak wholesale beef prices and worries about consumer demand, given uncertainty about the health of the U.S. economy, traders said. CME August live cattle futures settled down 0.85 cent at 98.8 cents/lb. and […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs up on pork demand, export optimism
Feeder cattle up on lower corn prices
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures rose on Monday on signs of improving demand for pork products and optimism about export demand from China as the Asian country struggles with renewed outbreaks of a hog disease, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) August lean hog futures settled up 1.4 cents at 51.275 cents/lb., after […] Read more
China’s slower meat imports seen worsening its protein shortage
Beijing | Reuters — China’s dwindling pace of meat imports, thanks to its tough measures against coronavirus contamination, will provide further support for prices already buoyed by a severe shortage of pork, analysts said. Purchases of pork and other meats have soared this year after domestic production shrank 30 per cent following an outbreak of […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle jump to two-month high
Lean hogs up on bargain buying
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures on Monday reached a two-month high on follow-through buying from last week, while lean hog futures edged up on bargain buying, traders said. Cattle futures are extending a recovery after recently regaining a premium over cash prices, traders said. Technical buying helped support the futures market even […] Read more
Pork is profitable, but pigs are a money-loser in Alberta
Summer is when hog producers make their money — but this year, they’re losing big time, say officials
Reading Time: 6 minutes It’s an everyday act — but one that shows why hog producers in this province are getting near the end of their rope. An Alberta producer recently delivered 200 pigs to a packing plant and got paid $4,000 less than it cost to raise those animals. And then he had to disinfect his truck at […] Read more
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