CME February 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20- and 50-day moving averages and January 2021 feeder cattle (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures step back on demand uncertainty

February lean hog futures lower

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures trimmed on Thursday as fears of additional pandemic closures weighed on the demand outlook, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange February live cattle futures fell 1.35 cents to 112.575 cents/lb., the contract’s biggest decline in two weeks (all figures US$). CME January feeder cattle ended two cents lower at […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures gain on strong cash trade

CME lean hogs down off six-week high

Chicago | Reuetrs — Live cattle futures gained on Wednesday, supported by a firming cash cattle market as traders eye the consumer demand picture. Chicago Mercantile Exchange February live cattle futures added 0.75 cent to settle at 113.925 cents/lb. (all figures US$). Tighter cattle supplies could begin pushing cash markets higher, whittling away at historically […] Read more


Loose-cornstalk residue left in the field for grazing cattle has a different nutritional value than cornstalk bales.

Cornstalk bales can have a fit in beef diets

It’s not amazing feed, but with proper testing it can work in winter rations

A few years ago I was visiting a small cow-calf operation and as I approached the house I noticed that there were rows of snow-covered round bales that literarily looked like baled alligators. The producer told me he baled left-over cornstalks within days of harvesting grain corn, and said that it took a couple of […] Read more

Manitoba Agriculture Minister Blaine Pedersen speaks at Ag Days in Brandon on Jan. 21, 2020. (Manitoba Co-operator file photo by Alexis Stockford)

AgriStability proposal could have hidden cost, Pedersen warns

Manitoba's ag minister warns Bibeau's plan may hurt crop insurance, AgriInvest funding

Ottawa’s proposal for an improved AgriStability program could give farmers short-term gain for long-term pain, Manitoba’s agriculture minister Blaine Pedersen warns. At the online federal-provincial-territorial agriculture ministers’ meeting on Friday, federal Agriculture Minister Marie Claude Bibeau proposed dropping AgriStability’s maximum reference margin, and increasing the compensation rate from 70 to 80 per cent retroactively this […] Read more


CME February 2021 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle strengthen on demand outlook

Export demand supports hog futures, for now

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures rose on Tuesday, supported by strong U.S. consumer demand and high wholesale beef prices, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange February live cattle futures added 0.3 cent to 113.175 cents/lb. (all figures US$). CME cattle futures have been steady in recent weeks, recovering from a slump in late October […] Read more

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends a news conference on COVID-19 response on Nov. 6, 2020 in Ottawa. (File photo: Reuters/Patrick Doyle)

U.S. border restrictions to last a long time yet, Trudeau says

COVID would need to be 'significantly more under control'

Ottawa | Reuters — Canada will not agree to lifting a ban on non-essential travel with the United States until the coronavirus outbreak is significantly under control around the world, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday. Trudeau’s comments were a clear indication that the border restrictions will last well into 2021. The two neighbours […] Read more


Expect volatility in the cattle market

Market Update with Jerry Klassen: High feed barley prices mean a drastic increase in cost per pound of gain

Alberta feedlots were selling fed cattle at $136 f.o.b. the feedlot in mid-November, which was relatively unchanged from average prices in October. The market has held due to steady demand from south of the border. Alberta packer bids have come in at a $3 to $5 discount to U.S. packers over the past month. Western […] Read more

A backgrounding target is something that is constantly moving, depending on the owner’s long-term plan.

Backgrounding options and considerations

Penchecker Diary: What's the risk level? What’s the end game?

The term ‘backgrounding,’ while often used in the cattle-feeding industry, provokes a certain level of misunderstanding from farm to farm. Many feedlots and cow-calf producers have zeroed in on its true meaning, while others may practise an imprecise version. Candace Wenzel DVM at Roblin Vet Services in Manitoba says that at times it’s an unfocused […] Read more



CME February 2021 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures gain on strong pork demand

Weak beef exports drag on live cattle futures

Chicago | Reuters — Lean hog futures gained on Monday as demand for pork keeps pace with strong production, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s benchmark February lean hog futures contract settled 1.325 cents higher at 68.575 cents/lb. (all figures US$). “Demand must be good,” said Alan Brugler, president of Brugler Marketing. “Cold storage stocks continue […] Read more