CME December 2023 live cattle with 20- and 50-day moving averages and ICE December 2023 Brent crude (black line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle retreat as energy rally dents beef demand outlook

Lean hog futures mostly also lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures fell on Friday as traders banked profits and squared positions ahead of the weekend as geopolitical turmoil riled energy markets and stoked concerns about beef demand. Crude oil rallied more than five per cent on Friday on the escalating Middle East conflict as the Israeli military […] Read more

With the calf market becoming more defined as the fall run moves into high gear,  mixed steers averaging 500 pounds are readily trading in the range of $415-$425/cwt across the prairies.

There’s a hint of U.S. beef herd expansion

Market Update with Jerry Klassen: Short supplies and consumer demand keep cattle prices near historical highs

As of late September, Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis at an average price of $390/cwt delivered. Live prices f.o.b. southern Alberta feedlot were quoted in the range of $230-$232/cwt. Fed cattle prices were relatively unchanged from 30 days earlier. Market-ready supplies are down from a year ago on both sides […] Read more


CME December 2023 live cattle with 30-, 40- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle, hogs rise on technical buying

USDA supply data seen as priced into market

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures rose on Thursday as technical buyers stepped into the market after prices weakened earlier in the session. Traders said the massive supplies reported by the U.S. Agriculture Department have been priced in and speculators were likely to buy any dip in the market at current levels. […] Read more

(Geralyn Wichers photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Demand for feed grains ‘in a lull’

U.S. corn harvest a work in progress

MarketsFarm — Despite prices continuing to come down for feed grains in Western Canada, demand for them is currently at a standstill, according to Susanne Leclerc of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton. “I think we’re in that lull time right now between corn and barley (deliveries) as the (U.S.) corn harvest is underway,” Leclerc said, […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: Chicago cattle turn higher

CME lean hogs mostly lower

Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle futures turned solidly higher Wednesday while lean hogs mostly continued lower. Most-active December live cattle closed 1.975 cents higher Wednesday at 186.975 cents/lb., erasing two days’ losses, but not before touching a one-month low of 184.25 (all figures US$). Both front-month October 2023 and February 2024 turned 1.925 cents higher, […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: Live cattle mostly lower

Lean hogs also down a second day

Most-active December live cattle on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) turned lower for a second day in a row Tuesday, as did lean hog and deferred-month feeder cattle futures. December live cattle closed Tuesday at 185 cents/lb., down 0.35 cent on the day, while lightly-traded front-month October ended up 0.2 cent at 182.575 cents/lb. (all […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Steam evaporates off yearling market

August 2024 feeder futures at a premium

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded steady to $4 lower. The yearling quality continues to fade as thicker flesh levels are starting to appear. Steer calves were down $4-$8 on average while heifer calves were down $15 to as much as $20 in some cases. From a seasonal perspective, the calf market […] Read more



Conservative agriculture critic John Barlow speaks Nov. 24, 2021 in the House of Commons. (Screengrab from supplied video)

Anti-activist bill back before Commons committee

Bill adds protections for biosecurity, farmers' mental health, Barlow says

A bill to create harsher penalties for unlawful entry onto farms and biosecure zones is back before the House of Commons after a previous iteration died on the order table in 2021. Conservative MP John Barlow brought forward Bill C-275, “an Act to amend the Health of Animals Act (biosecurity on farms),” as a private […] Read more

Barley. (Doug Wilson photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Feed weekly outlook: Lack of overseas demand brings down prices

'It feels like for now, we've kind of bottomed out'

MarketsFarm — As the grain harvest wraps up in Western Canada, feed grain prices continued to move downward. However, harvest pressure was not the only reason for their declines. Evan Peterson of JGL Commodities at Moose Jaw, Sask. heard others say their crops were larger than anticipated — but there were additional factors adding pressure […] Read more