CME June 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures firm as corn prices fall

Lean hog futures down on profit-taking

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures ended firm on Thursday as corn futures sank to a nine-month low. Falling corn prices raised prospects for reduced feeding costs, traders said. Hog futures weakened, pressured by a round of profit taking after hitting their highest since April 4. The gains in cattle were kept […] Read more

CME June 2023 live cattle with 10-, 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle rise as corn prices drop

Chicago lean hogs also strong

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures rose Wednesday, supported by weakness in corn prices that boosted expectations for lower feeding costs, traders said. Hog futures rallied on strength in the cash markets. CME’s most-active June live cattle contract gained 0.55 cent, to 164.575 cents, rising above its 10-day moving average (all figures […] Read more


CME June 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle, hogs mostly weaker

Feeder cattle futures mixed

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle and hog futures contracts were mostly weaker on Tuesday, with ample supplies weighing on prices. Traders also noted pressure from poor cash market values and concerns about demand due to worries about the global economy. “There probably is a little bit of a drag from outside […] Read more

Photo: Canada Beef

Klassen: Positive feeding margins lift feeder complex

Futures continue percolating higher

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearlings traded steady to $5/cwt higher. Feeders in the 650- to 800-lb. category appeared to jump $4/cwt to as much as $8/cwt in some cases. Calves under 650 lbs. were up $5-$10/cwt. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle in southern Alberta on a live basis at $222/cwt f.o.b. the […] Read more


If there are wet conditions during the growing season, producers should think about have alfalfa hay tested for nitrate levels.

Include high-quality alfalfa in a balanced dairy ration

Dairy Corner: Test for nitrates if the crop was produced under high-moisture conditions

High-quality alfalfa has not escaped the high cost of other dairy feeds, and thus significantly contributes to the record-setting cost of producing milk. And last year’s foul growing season, with wet conditions in some areas across the Prairies, was not kind to some alfalfa crops, resulting in some sprouting. This resulted in a few cases […] Read more

P.E.I. Ag Minister Bloyce Thompson speaks at a press conference in 2021. (Government of P.E.I. video screengrab via Facebook Live)

Thompson returns as P.E.I. ag minister

Ag and land ministry split; Compton not returning to cabinet

Prince Edward Island’s former agriculture minister is again its current ag minister, in a post-election cabinet shuffle by returning Premier Dennis King. Bloyce Thompson, MLA for the district of Stanhope-Marshfield since 2019 and ag minister from 2019 until last summer, was again appointed April 14 as King’s minister of agriculture, justice and public safety and […] Read more


CME August 2023 feeder cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Feeder cattle fall after USDA report

June hogs rise above 10-day moving average

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts edged higher on Monday, while feeder cattle contracts fell, after U.S. government data released on Friday afternoon showed bigger-than-expected supplies in feedlots. The U.S. Agriculture Department’s monthly report showed that the number of U.S. cattle on feed, as of April 1, was down four per […] Read more

CME June 2023 live cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle mixed, cash-futures spread remains wide

Hogs firm after touching new lows

Chicago | Reuters — The Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s spot live cattle futures eased on Friday, after prices in some cash cattle markets dipped lower than last week, traders said. Still, traders cautioned, the spread between cash and deferred futures prices remains wide — a spread that could tighten in the coming weeks as the U.S. […] Read more


CME June 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Volatility roils CME cattle market

Chicago lean hog futures slump

Chicago | Reuters — The Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s cattle futures saw a second day of volatile trading on Thursday, with wide trading ranges and weaker technicals resulting in the spot live cattle contract turning lower, analysts said. One key reason, traders said, is that a white-hot cash market may have hit its limit. Cattle sold […] Read more

CME June 2023 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs touch new lows on fat supplies

Live cattle down on profit-taking, feeder cattle touch fresh highs

Chicago | Reuters — Choppy trade roiled the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s livestock markets on Wednesday, while bountiful pork supplies and questions over consumer demand sent five of lean hog contracts slumping to new contract lows. The hog market turned sharply down, traders said, as the sector continues to wrestle with weak cash prices and larger-than-expected […] Read more