CME June 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs tumble on profit-taking

Rising feed costs pressure cattle futures

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures ended down sharply on Wednesday in a profit-taking setback following seven sessions of gains that took actively-traded nearby months to contract highs. A bearish U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) cold storage report on Tuesday showed larger frozen pork supplies, including a 17 per cent month-over-month […] Read more



CME June 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and dark red lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs rise again on tight supplies

Rough weather on Plains supports live cattle futures

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures climbed to fresh highs on Tuesday in a seventh straight session of gains, lifted by strong domestic demand and tight supplies of hogs. Broader commodities market gains added support to hogs as concerns about a Russian invasion of Ukraine hammered equities markets and fueled worries […] Read more

Central Alberta beef producers, Andy Rainforth and his wife Shannon and son Caed have worked to improve beef genetics as well as forage and pasture management over the years as they work toward a year-round grazing system.


Producer closing in on year-round grazing

It’s an ongoing process of learning what works and doesn't work as growing conditions change

Andy Rainforth and his wife Shannon and young son Caed farm near Lacombe in central Alberta not far from where Andy grew up. They raise Angus cattle and various crops. They have been on a journey over the past dozen years or more to develop a more efficient beef herd as well as a more […] Read more



CME April 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures extend rally to six days

April live cattle down on day

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures rose for the sixth straight session on Friday, with the market underpinned by strong domestic demand and tight supplies as slaughter numbers lagged well behind the 2021 pace. Traders also noted technical buying helped accelerate the gains. April lean hog futures gained 1.825 cents to 109.4 […] Read more


CME April 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and CME lean hog index (dark red line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures hit six-month high on strong cash markets

April live cattle end lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures rose 2.1 per cent on Thursday, with the front-month contract hitting its highest in six months on strength in the cash market, traders said. April lean hog futures gained 2.175 cents, to 107.575 cents/lb., hitting a new contract high and briefly topping the high end of […] Read more

Having two or even three  esophageal feeding tubes on hand and used during calving season is an effective way to ensure calves are supplied with key nutrients and other products when they are needed.

An esophageal feeder is a key tool in saving calves

Animal Health with Roy Lewis: It is an effective way to administer a range of products to newborn or sick animals

Modern tool boxes in cow-calf production would not be complete without preferably at least two esophageal feeding tubes. These relatively simple, multipurpose feeding tools allow a safe, convenient method to give things such as colostrum or colostrum replacers, electrolytes, milk replacers and a few other treatments to calves. No producer should feel they don’t know […] Read more


CME April 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and dark red lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures firm, cattle mixed

CME March feeder cattle lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures firmed on Wednesday, with concerns about processing margins seen limiting supplies in the coming months. “High feed costs and low prices there have production margins as poor as they’ve been in at least eight years,” brokerage StoneX said in a note to clients. “All of this […] Read more

CME April 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and CME lean hog index (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs climb as tight supplies persist

Cattle futures also firm on tighter supplies

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures climbed on Tuesday, supported by persistent tight supplies of market-ready hogs, analysts said. “We know numbers are getting tighter. We haven’t generated the expansion we needed to over the last six to nine months,” said Matthew Wiegand, Risk Management Consultant at FuturesOne. “The numbers are […] Read more