(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: U.S. feeder markets pull Canadian values higher

Feedlots aggressively seek U.S. corn

For the week ending July 1, western Canadian feeder markets traded $2-$5/cwt higher compared to seven days earlier. Quality groups of yearlings were up $8-$10/cwt from a week earlier. South of the border, major markets in Oklahoma had feeder steers and heifers trading US$5-$10/cwt above week-ago levels. The Canadian market is functioning to ration demand […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle firm on choppy corn trade

Live cattle, lean hogs mixed

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures eased and feeder cattle futures ticked up on Monday, as corn prices faced a choppy trading day at the start of this holiday-shortened week, traders said. Meanwhile, the hog market ended the day mixed, with nearby contracts continuing to be bullish on growing buyer interest, […] Read more


CME October 2023 live cattle with 20-day moving average and August 2023 live cattle (dark red line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle up as corn prices slide

Chicago lean hog futures end mixed

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures set a three-week high on Friday, lifted by a surge in feeder cattle futures as corn prices tumbled, traders said. Tightening U.S. cattle supplies and a resilient beef market lent support, along with a strong close for the month and quarter on Wall Street that […] Read more

Tuberculosis bacteria under an electron microscope. (Janice Haney Carr photo courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.))

Bovine TB turns up in Saskatchewan herd

Two cases found after U.S. test flags Canadian heifer

A heifer whose tissues tested positive for bovine tuberculosis (TB) at slaughter in the U.S. has been traced back to a Saskatchewan cattle herd which has now turned up two more cases of the disease. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, in a report dated Wednesday, said it was notified Feb. 23 by the U.S. Department […] Read more


CME August 2023 lean hogs with 100-day moving average and October 2023 lean hogs (brown line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME nearby hog futures up ahead of herd data

Cattle up on bullish fundamentals

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange nearby lean hog futures ended higher on Thursday, as wholesale pork prices rose, cash hog prices firmed and traders awaited quarterly hog data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Benchmark August hogs settled up 1.225 cents at 92.325 cents/lb. after reaching 93 cents, right at the contract’s […] Read more

File photo of a BNSF grain train in Montana. (Photo courtesy BNSF Railway)

Feed weekly outlook: U.S. corn keeps making way into Canadian rations

Ease of sourcing corn by rail an attractive feature

MarketsFarm — The size and quality of the 2023 Canadian grain crop is still very much in the air, but domestic feeders intend to keep at least some corn from the U.S. in their rations going forward no matter what is grown on the Prairies. Canadian buyers have already booked 78,500 tonnes of U.S. corn […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: Live cattle climb on firm cash markets

Chicago lean hogs end mixed

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle closed higher for a second session on Wednesday, lifted by strength in the cash market tied to tightening U.S. cattle supplies, traders said, while tumbling corn prices lifted feeder cattle futures. CME August live cattle futures settled up 1.375 cents at 173.875 cents/lb. (all figures US$). […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: Live cattle end higher, lean hogs mixed

Wholesale beef prices seen softening

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rose on Tuesday, rallying after a two-session slide as corn prices dropped and feeder cattle surged, but softening wholesale beef prices hung over the market, traders said. Benchmark CME August live cattle futures settled up 1.9 cents, at 172.5 cents/lb. (all figures US$). October futures […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Fed market supports feeder complex

Strength in loonie tempers market upside

For the week ending Saturday, western Canadian yearlings over 800 lbs. were relatively unchanged. Feeder cattle in the range of 600-700 lbs. were up $4-$8/cwt. The market was hard to define for feeder cattle under 600 lbs. due to limited numbers. Prices for quality calves were unchanged from seven days earlier while straggler types were […] Read more

CME August 2023 live cattle with 20- and 100-day moving averages and October 2023 live cattle (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle weak on large May placements

Slowing beef demand also a factor

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures ended flat to lower on Monday on larger-than-expected feedlot placements in May and expectations for slower demand for beef for outdoor grilling following the U.S. Independence Day holiday. Sharply higher feed corn prices early in Monday’s trading session weighed on the live and feeder cattle […] Read more