CME December 2023 live cattle with 20-, 100- and 200-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures rally late in session on technical buying

Hogs down on technical selling

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle futures saw a choppy day of trading on Wednesday, before rallying later in the session on short-covering and technical buying, traders said. December live cattle futures dipped below its 200-day moving average of $177.50 before bouncing up (all figures US$). January 2024 feeder cattle futures also […] Read more

CME February 2024 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures sink to May lows

CME December hogs continue higher

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures sank to their lowest prices since May on Tuesday on fund liquidation and profit-taking, traders said. Follow-through selling pressured the markets after losses on Monday, along with softer boxed beef prices, traders said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture priced choice cuts of beef at $300.38/cwt, down $1.34 from […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Buyers contemplate feeder market prices

In adverse weather, sale results vary

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $3-$5/cwt lower on average although limited numbers made the market hard to define. Calf markets traded $4-$8/cwt on either side of unchanged. It appeared that 700-plus-lb. calves were up $4 to as much as $8. The variation in the price structure was due to the adverse […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: CME cattle slide on concerns over beef demand

Chicago December lean hogs settle higher

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures dropped to their lowest level in more than a week at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Monday on concerns about the risk for easing demand for U.S. beef. Feeder cattle futures also declined, while lean hog futures ended higher. Lower-than-expected cash cattle prices last week contributed to uncertainty […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: CME hog, cattle futures down on profit-taking

Cash hog values seen softer

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) hog futures closed lower on Friday, retreating on a round of profit-taking after the benchmark December contract rose to its highest level in a month. Soft cash hog values, weaker wholesale pork prices and a large weekly hog slaughter added to bearish sentiment. “We’ve had a pretty […] Read more

CME January 2024 feeder cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle, hogs soar as U.S. Fed piques investors’ risk appetite

Beef, pork export sales above four-week average

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle and hog futures rose on Thursday following broad strength in Wall Street equities, crude oil and other commodities, as investors’ risk appetite increased a day after the U.S. Federal Reserve kept benchmark interest rates on hold. “The emphasis is really from the ‘risk-on’ macro play, driven […] Read more


In Western Canada, market-ready fed cattle supplies are expected to exceed year-ago levels from January through March by 20,000 head each month.

All signs point toward herd expansion

Market Update: Cow-calf operators and backgrounders need to adjust marketing strategy

During the first half of October, Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis at average prices of $390/cwt. Live prices f.o.b the feedlot in southern Alberta were quoted at $233/cwt. The Alberta fed cattle market was unchanged from 30 days earlier. Market-ready supplies in the U.S. will tighten during the fourth quarter […] Read more

CME February 2024 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle firm on cash market optimism

Lean hog futures end lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle futures closed modestly higher on Wednesday, with the benchmark December contract extending its rebound from a four-month low set last week, buoyed by technical buying and expectations of rising cash cattle prices. Sellers in the Kansas and Texas cash markets were offering slaughter-ready cattle as […] Read more


What manure does over and above its nutrient content is to provide organic carbon matter, which does wonders for soils.

Manuring cropland can be misunderstood and overdone

Sources of manure and compost

There are some 60,000 cow-calf farms and 20,000 dairy operations in Canada. Cattle numbers are around 12.5 million with more than 40 per cent of this total in Alberta. Alberta also had 90 per cent of the beef feedlots with lesser numbers in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. There are 14 million hogs at any time in […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: CME cattle rise on hopes for cash prices

Hogs also higher; livestock futures down on month

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange livestock futures crept higher on Tuesday as the cattle markets continued to rebound from multi-month lows reached last week. Expectations for higher cash prices this week and beyond helped to underpin futures, analysts said. Cash prices improved on Friday, compared to the middle of last week. CME October […] Read more