CME October 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures mixed

Hogs slip on technical trading

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures ended mixed on Monday, as cattle prices began to see a seasonal bounce and cash cattle traders were expected to firm slightly this week, traders said. CME lean hog futures, meanwhile, slipped on technical trading and some signs of profit-taking, traders said. On Monday, October lean […] Read more

CME November 2021 feeder cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Profit-taking knocks feeder cattle off high

CME lean hogs seen consolidating

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle futures ended lower on Friday as profit-taking pressured the market after prices set a one-month high, traders said. The setback came after the most-active November contract had rallied more than six per cent from a four-month low set on Sept. 30. The contract ended down 0.45 […] Read more


(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Walmart stakes big claim on Canadian sustainable beef

Retailer pledges to take over 680 tonnes in 2022

The Canadian arm of the world’s biggest retailer has put a number to its previous commitment to source certified-sustainable beef for its grocery business. Walmart Canada on Thursday announced it has committed to buy 1.5 million pounds of beef sourced from farms and ranches certified to Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) standards over the […] Read more



File photo of a Conagra production facility at Oakdale, Calif., about 150 km east of San Francisco, on Dec, 18, 2015. (Photo: Reuters/Fred Greaves)

Conagra flags price increases to cushion inflation impact

Prepared foods firm raises sales forecast

Reuters — Conagra Brands said on Thursday it would increase prices again on its frozen meals and snacks to help cushion the blow of higher inflation, after the diversified food maker raised its annual sales forecast and topped quarterly results. Packaged food companies are grappling with inflation as the U.S. economy rebounds, while spending heavily […] Read more

A tract of Amazon jungle burns as it is cleared by farmers at Rio Pardo in Brazil’s Rondonia state on Sept. 15, 2019. (File photo: Reuters/Ricardo Moraes)

Brazil’s JBS bought 301,000 cattle from ‘irregular’ farms in Amazon, audit finds

Prosecutors 'negotiating improvements' with companies

Sao Paulo | Reuters — Nearly a third of the cattle bought by JBS SA in the Brazilian Amazon state of Para came from ranches with “irregularities” such as illegal deforestation, prosecutors found in a 2020 audit of the world’s largest meatpacker released on Thursday. In a presentation, federal prosecutors said they were “negotiating improvements” […] Read more


CME December 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle rally continues on steady cash market, technical buying

Chicago hogs also find support

Chicago | Reuters — Technical buying and a steady cash market helped fuel Chicago Mercantile Exchange live and feeder cattle futures on Thursday, sending prices to multi-week highs and stretching the rally into a fourth trading session, traders said. Most-active November feeder cattle touched its highest price since Sept. 9 and ended up 3.475 cents […] Read more

Dr. Brett Terhaar from Frontier Veterinary Services in Winterset, IA using ultra sound equipment for prep checking cattle.

The pros and cons of different preg-check options for cows

Herd size and speed of test can point to the best technique

Pregnancy testing methods include palpation, ultrasound and blood tests. Dr. Don Driedger of Driedger Veterinary Services in Lloydminster, Alta., does a lot of pregnancy testing in his area, and uses both palpation and ultrasound. “The main reason most producers preg-check is to decrease the number of cows that are just freeloading through winter,” says Driedger. […] Read more


CME November 2021 feeder cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Technical buying, solid beef demand boost CME cattle

Chicago lean hogs continue lower

Chicago | Reuters — Technical buying and solid demand for U.S. beef lifted Chicago Mercantile Exchange live and feeder cattle futures on Wednesday, traders said. The cattle markets continue to rebound from recent losses that were technically overdone, analysts said. Front-month CME October live cattle futures reached its highest price since Sept. 16 at 124 […] Read more

CME October 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle, feeder cattle extend gains

December hogs touch one-week low

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle and live cattle futures rose on Tuesday amid technical buying, while lean hog futures finished mixed. Both cattle markets have been due to rebound after recent selloffs dragged prices too low at a time when demand is solid, brokers said. Live cattle futures topped a one-week […] Read more