File photo of a Wyoming corn crop. (RiverNorthPhotography/iStock/Getty Images)

Feed weekly outlook: Market steady in face of harvest, U.S. corn imports

Imports weigh on domestic barley values

MarketsFarm — The feed grain market in Western Canada is holding reasonably steady as harvest operations progress and corn imports continue to come up from the United States. Anecdotal harvest reports were varied so far, with surprisingly positive results from some growers and others who missed out on showers ending up with lower yields, according […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle set two-week low

Lean hogs touch June low

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures stumbled to their lowest level in more than two weeks on Wednesday, while lean hogs hit their lowest price since June. Drought prompted U.S. cattle producers to reduce their herds since last year by driving up feed costs and reducing the amount of pasture available […] Read more


CME October 2023 lean hogs with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Technical selling extends setback in CME lean hogs

Live cattle futures generally sideways

Chicago | Reuters — Chart-based selling drove Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures lower on Tuesday, brokers said, as the market extended a recent setback. Most-active October lean hog futures fell 0.95 cent, or 1.2 per cent, to settle at 78.2 cents/lb. and touched their lowest price since July 3 (all figures US$). The contract […] Read more

(Geralyn Wichers file photo)

Klassen: Feeder market consolidates

USDA report considered supportive for Q4 fed cattle

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded $2-$3/cwt on either side of unchanged. The steam appears to be coming off the market as larger volumes become available. Pastures have basically dried up in many areas of Western Canada, which has spurred on producer selling. The calf market was hard to define due to […] Read more


Smoke rises from a wildfire near Wildwood, Alta., about 100 km west of Edmonton, on May 5, 2023. (Photo: Alberta Wildfire/Handout via Reuters)

Alberta farmers granted late AgriStability entry

Enrolment deadline now Sept. 29

Any Alberta producers who were considering AgriStability — but only in hindsight — for the income stabilization plan’s 2023 program year now have until Sept. 29 to apply. Ottawa and the province announced Aug. 4 that they’ve reopened the jointly-funded program, as wildfires and/or “extremely dry” growing conditions have dragged on many Alberta producers’ work […] Read more



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

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures fall as packers’ profit margins in red

Lean hog futures show gains

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures fell on Friday, as cash cattle prices eased and packers continued to hemorrhage profits and remained reluctant to pay more for animals, analysts and traders said. Meanwhile, lean hog futures firmed as profit margins improved for pork processors. Limited cattle supplies kept a floor under the […] Read more

File photo of a sunrise over an Alberta barley crop. (MNphotography/iStock/Getty Images)

Feed weekly outlook: Crop conditions, barley demand lower

Prices expected steady to lower for now

MarketsFarm — As combining operations begin, dryness continues to plague crops in many parts of Saskatchewan. But while crop conditions aren’t as bad as they were during the drought of 2021, according to trader Evan Peterson from JGL Commodities in Saskatoon, crops are still very parched. “Southern and western parts are very, very poor. But […] Read more


CME October 2023 live cattle with 20- and 50-day moving averages and August 2023 live cattle (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle firm, hogs mixed

Cattle supply outlook overrides demand concerns

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures firmed on Thursday, buoyed by a round of technical support as the market remained near last week’s highs. Feeder cattle contracts also posted gains, while lean hog futures were mixed Traders said that tight supplies underpinned cattle futures prices despite demand concerns. CME August live […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: Cattle up on U.S. supply worries

CME lean hog futures sag

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures strengthened on Wednesday as tight U.S. supplies continued to support the market, analysts said. Feeder cattle futures also advanced, while lean hog futures declined. The live cattle market is largely trading sideways in the most-active contract this week after finishing with strong gains on Friday, […] Read more