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U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures retreat as wholesale US pork prices sag

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures backpedaled on Thursday from a one-week high reached during the previous session, while live cattle futures strengthened. Hog futures eased after wholesale U.S. pork prices pulled back from a jump on Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture priced the pork carcass cutout at $97.02 per […] Read more

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Cattle producers wary of grasslands conservation proposal

Glacier FarmMedia – Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association members want the Canadian Cattle Association to press pause on its Grasslands Conservation Initiative until it can better communicate its plan. Several resolutions about the initiative were debated during the SSGA annual meeting June 11 and while some were defeated members did approve one calling on CCA to […] Read more


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U.S. livestock: Live cattle, lean hog futures end lower

Chicago | Reuters – Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange closed lower on Tuesday in dull technical trade as market players await cash cattle trade to develop, brokers said. CME August live cattle LCQ24 settled down 1.050 cents at 178.925 cents per pound, although the contract stayed above its 100- and 200-day moving averages. CME August […] Read more



Jodie Griffin, program coordinator for the Livestock Price Insurance program, presents at the SSGA AGM.  Photo: Melissa Jeffers-Bezan

Livestock Price Insurance coming to maritime producers

At the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA) conference on June 10 in Swift Current, Sask., Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) vice president Tyler Fulton highlighted the expansion of Livestock Price Insurance, which will be available to producers in Eastern Canada. Initially announced in February, the expansion will finally come into effect sometime this week. “It’s something […] Read more

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Strike possibility looms at Calgary Cargill plant

June vote will determine if Calgary Cargill workers will echo Cargill Guelph work stoppage

Nearly 1,000 workers at Cargill’s beef processing plant in Guelph were on strike at the end of May, and there’s a possibility that workers at the Cargill Case Ready plant in Calgary could also hit the picket lines.



Ration-balancing tools can help cattle feeders make changes to their rations to include alternative feed types.

Do your homework on alternative feeds

What looks to be another dry year will mean added emphasis on byproduct feeds

Alternative or non-conventional feeds, such as grain screenings, cull potatoes or distillers’ grains, can be an economical means for beef cattle producers to supplement forage and grain inventories while continuing to meet animal nutritional requirements. However, due to variability in supply, nutrient composition and quality of these feed ingredients, there can be pitfalls if not […] Read more


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U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures mixed, hog futures lower, amid demand questions

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures ended Monday mixed, after conflicting market signals sent feeder cattle futures lower and nearby live cattle contracts slightly higher. Lean hog futures eased, as market participants wrestled with growing uncertainty over consumer demand for meat as the U.S. enters into the traditional summer grilling season. In […] Read more

The USDA is still performing two other safety studies on beef related to H5N1 but says meat supplies are safe.  Photo: File

U.S. livestock: CME cattle stabilize after bird flu roils markets

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures stabilized on Friday after U.S. testing of ground beef samples for H5N1 bird flu fuelled wild swings, but markets still closed lower for the week. Live cattle and feeder cattle futures had rallied on Thursday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the samples from retail […] Read more