With pastures in some drought affected areas shrivelling up to almost bare ground, feeding cattle is a real challenge.

Finding affordable cow feed to support body condition

Chances are that pastures have just run out, so what do you feed cattle heading into winter?

Quantity and quality of forage at the end of this summer for beef cows is short. So, where burnt pastures can no longer support the average beef cowherd, whatever forage is on hand with the right supplements might be turned into a sufficient autumn feeding program until winter.  The goal of any good fall feeding […] Read more



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

U.S. livestock: CME hogs surge on bullish USDA data

Chicago cattle futures sag

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures soared on Monday, with the most-active December contract rising its daily limit after a quarterly U.S. Department of Agriculture report showed a smaller-than-expected U.S. hog herd. CME October lean hogs settled up 2.975 cents at 90.25 cents/lb., and the December contract rose its daily […] Read more


Green Party leader Annamie Paul makes an announcement following the federal election, at a park in Toronto on Sept. 27, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Chris Helgren)

Green Party chief quits

Paul calls leadership stint 'worst period' of her life

Ottawa | Reuters — Annamie Paul announced her resignation as head of Canada’s Green Party on Monday after losing in her own district in last week’s parliamentary election, stepping aside just under a year after becoming the nation’s first Black leader of a mainstream national party. Paul, 48, said she felt she was never truly […] Read more

CME October 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs rise, live cattle slip ahead of USDA reports

Cattle on feed top trade estimates

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures climbed on Friday, largely supported by positioning ahead of a key hog inventory report issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) after the close, analysts said. Higher cash pork prices and the still-wide discount of futures to cash hog prices were also supportive. […] Read more


The U.S. calf crop has been shrinking since 2018.

It’s a bullish market for feeder cattle

Market Update: This is a good time to buy bred heifers or cow-calf pairs

I’ve received many inquiries from cow-calf producers and backgrounding operators regarding the price outlook for feeder cattle. As of early September, tan steers coming straight off grass averaging 920 pounds were quoted at $199 in southern Alberta; Angus-based heifers weighing 850 pounds were valued at $187. Yearling prices have been hovering at 52-week highs over the […] Read more



CME October 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (dark red line) and cash lean hog index (pink line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs firm on China’s herd restrictions

Cattle mixed to lower ahead of report

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures firmed on Thursday, after China lowered its sow herd targets in an effort to ensure supply and stabilize prices. China’s ministry of agriculture and rural affairs said the target for its sow herd was now around 41 million head for 2021-2025 and should be […] Read more

An information label is seen on packaging for a CO2 cylinder for a fizzy drinks machine in Manchester, Britain on Sept. 20, 2021. (Photo: Reuters)/Phil Noble)

Britain tells its food industry to prepare for CO2 price shock

U.K. pays fertilizer maker CF Industries to reopen plants

London | Reuters — Britain warned its food producers on Wednesday to prepare for a 400 per cent rise in carbon dioxide prices after extending emergency state support to avert a shortage of poultry and meat triggered by soaring costs of wholesale natural gas. Natural gas prices have spiked this year as economies reopened from […] Read more