CME October 2020 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle pull back on demand uncertainty

CME lean hogs strengthen

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed lower on Tuesday for a second consecutive session after key contracts reached more-than-four-month highs last week as processors continued to cut into a surplus of market-ready cattle, traders said. Concerns about a piecemeal economic reopening as coronavirus cases flare up across the United States have traders […] Read more

CME August 2020 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle backslide amid cautious slaughter improvements

Lean hogs down on supply backlog

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed lower on Monday, pulling back after a rally last week on signs that meatpackers may be working through backlogs of market-ready cattle, traders said. Although slaughter rates have returned to pre-coronavirus levels, cattle remain heavier after backing up in feedlots when processing plants closed this spring […] Read more


(Pierre-Olivier Valiquette/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. court finds for California’s work with Quebec on carbon market

Washington | Reuters — A U.S. federal district court has ruled that California’s co-ordination with Quebec in a cap-and-trade carbon emissions market is constitutional, a blow to the Trump administration made public in a filing late on Friday. In October, the Trump administration sued California for entering a climate agreement with Quebec, saying the state […] Read more

CME August 2020 live cattle with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle end steady to firmer

Lean hogs dip after weekly advances

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed steady to firm on Friday, stabilizing after a two-session rally attributed to speculative buying and signs that meat packers may have worked through much of a backlog of market-ready cattle, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) August live cattle futures settled unchanged at 103.275 cents/lb. and […] Read more


CME October 2020 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures hit four-month top

Lean hogs up on export news

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) rose on Thursday to four-month highs as steady to firmer cash cattle prices signaled that meat packers may have largely worked through a backlog of market-ready cattle that built up this spring, traders said. CME August live cattle futures settled up 1.975 […] Read more

CME August 2020 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle up with cash values, technical buying

CME lean hog contracts mixed

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) closed higher on Wednesday, led by the nearby August contract on signs of firmer cash cattle prices and technical buying, traders said. Market-ready cattle traded in the cash market at $95-$97/cwt in the southern Plains, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported, after […] Read more


Elanco Animal Health CEO Jeff Simmons speaks during an interview at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Sept. 20, 2018. (Photo: Reuters/Brendan McDermid)

Elanco Animal Health wins U.S. approval to buy Bayer unit

Elanco to shed cattle pour-on brand, others for approval

Washington | Reuters — Elanco Animal Health has won U.S. antitrust approval to buy Bayer’s animal health business on condition that it sell assets to treat three ailments, two in dogs and one in cattle, the Federal Trade Commission said on Wednesday. The deal was valued at $7.6 billion when it was announced in August […] Read more

CME October 2020 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures drift lower on beef demand worries

Hog futures down off Monday's rally

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) fell on Tuesday for a second straight session on weak wholesale beef prices and worries about consumer demand, given uncertainty about the health of the U.S. economy, traders said. CME August live cattle futures settled down 0.85 cent at 98.8 cents/lb. and […] Read more


CME August 2020 lean hogs with 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hogs up on pork demand, export optimism

Feeder cattle up on lower corn prices

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures rose on Monday on signs of improving demand for pork products and optimism about export demand from China as the Asian country struggles with renewed outbreaks of a hog disease, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) August lean hog futures settled up 1.4 cents at 51.275 cents/lb., after […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Prairie livestock vet named B.C.’s chief veterinarian

Rayna Gunvaldsen replaces Jane Pritchard

A Saskatchewan vet with a resume in emergency preparedness and managing livestock disease outbreaks has been named British Columbia’s new chief veterinarian. Agriculture Minister Lana Popham announced Rayna Gunvaldsen’s appointment Friday, replacing Jane Pritchard. Gunvaldsen trained at the University of Saskatchewan with an emphasis on herd health and regulatory medicine, worked as a herd health […] Read more