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Beef cattle

Pasture conditions during the spring and summer always have an affect on beef markets.
Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock, Markets

Positive margins underpin feeder complex

Market Update with Jerry Klassen: As usual, a lot will depend on whether there’s moisture for grass and feed grains

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During the second week of April, Alberta packers were buying live fed cattle in the range of $229-$230/cwt f.o.b. feedlot in southern Alberta. This is up approximately $7 from mid-April. Breakeven pen closeouts are around $220/cwt. After struggling for nearly three years in a row, feeding margins have finally moved into positive territory. Strength in […] Read more
The first profit driver for many operations is to increase yields of biodiverse forages.
Cattleman’s Corner

Looking at key ranch profit drivers

Beef production is a bit more involved than having cattle eat grass, but putting efforts into management produces the best return

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I often think that the ranching business is very simple until you get humans involved. At the most basic level, sun and rain grow forage, cows consume forage and reproduce and ranchers sell the offspring. Pretty simple, until it’s not. Fundamentally, this simple picture does provide some insight into what drives profit on most cow-calf […] Read more
CME August 2023 live cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)
Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: CME cattle extend rally on surging cash market

Lean hogs follow firm trend

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Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures extended their run of life-of-contract highs on Friday, supported by a jump in cash cattle prices this week along with rising beef prices, traders said. Benchmark CME August live cattle futures settled up 0.525 cent at 172.9 cents/lb. after posting a contract high at 174.25 […] Read more
File: Grazing land.
Cattleman’s Corner

Ideas for extended fall and winter grazing

Annual crops and protein supplements are among the options

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There are many ways to extend the grazing season on most farms and ranches. In years with not enough rain in regions without irrigation, native pastures and hay aftermath don’t produce as much forage as normal, One option to increase forage production is seeding and grazing annual crops, which may include cereals and brassicas. Extending […] Read more
CME August 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)
Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle soar as cash prices explode

Lean hog futures mostly lower

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Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures surged on Thursday as cash cattle traded as high as US$180/cwt in Texas and Kansas, up to US$9 higher than last week, reflecting strong demand from meat-packers amid rising beef prices and tightening cattle supplies, traders said. CME’s most-active August live cattle futures contract settled […] Read more
Smoky skies over Calgary on May 16, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Leah Hennel)
General, Weather

NEW FEATURE: Prairie Forecast: Summer has definitely moved in

Forecast issued May 31, 2023, covering May 31 to June 7, 2023

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As we move into the official start of meteorological summer, it is looking like we have left spring behind and summer is here to stay. While this is great for those of us who like heat, humidity and thunderstorms, it can make it difficult to create an accurate forecast. The large areas of low pressure […] Read more
CME July 2023 lean hogs with Bollinger bands (20,2) and CME’s cash lean hog index (brown line). (Barchart)
Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs bounce on short-covering

Cattle futures up with beef prices, tighter supplies

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Chicago | Reuters — Benchmark July lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange jumped nearly five per cent on Wednesday, extending their two-day rally to 11 per cent on a round of bargain-buying following a months-long slump, traders said. CME July hogs settled up 3.8 cents at 83.325 cents/lb., while front-month June hogs ended […] Read more
Forecast probability of above- or below-normal temperatures for the period from May 29 to June 26, 2023. Map issued May 25, 2023. (Map: Environment Canada)
General, Weather

A hot, dry Prairie June ahead

El Nino pattern could arrive

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MarketsFarm — June is expected to see a continuation of the hot and dry weather most of the Canadian Prairies has experienced in May, according to Scott Kehler, chief scientist for Weatherlogics. “It looks like late spring/early summer is pretty hot across almost all of Western Canada. The Prairies are all above normal [temperature-wise],” Kehler […] Read more
CME July 2023 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)
Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs limit-up on bargain buying

Cash and beef values lift cattle futures

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Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures surged their daily limit on Tuesday, rebounding from Friday’s life-of-contract lows on a round of bargain-buying and short-covering toward the end of the month, and as feed grain futures fell sharply, traders said. “It really got grossly overdone to the bottom side,” said Dennis Smith, commodity […] Read more
(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)
Finishers, Livestock, Markets

Klassen: Canadian feeder market rationing demand

Improvement seen in feeding margins

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For the week ending Saturday, western Canadian feeder markets averaged $3-$6/cwt higher compared to seven days earlier. Weakness in the Canadian dollar along with strength in the deferred live cattle futures set a positive tone. Recent rains have enhanced yield potential for the Canadian barley crop, which also underpinned nearby cash values. Alberta packers were […] Read more

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