CME October 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs slip

USDA marks surprise jump in July cattle placements

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures slipped on Friday, with the most-active contract dipping to a nearly six-week low during the session, as weak export demand continued to weigh on futures, analysts said. Meanwhile, a government report, released after the CME closed, said that far more cattle were marketed in July […] Read more

CME October 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks, right column) with 20- and 100-day moving averages (pink and brown lines) and CME cash lean hog index (black line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs fall on weak exports

Softer cash values drag on live cattle futures

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell on Thursday, pressured by softening wholesale pork prices and weak export demand, analysts said. “We’re going to have more supply coming at us, and that’s putting pressure on the wholesale market,” said Altin Kalo, economist at Steiner Consulting Group. CME October lean hogs fell […] Read more


Keeping alleyways as clean as possible and using disinfectant foot baths are a couple measures that reduce the risk of dairy cattle developing hairy heel warts.

Revisiting hairy heel warts in dairy cows

Proper nutrition and good sanitation in the barn help to reduce disease risk

About five years ago I worked with a 350-dairy cow operation with a significant hairy heel wart (HHW) problem. At the time, this dairy manager often had a series of lame lactating dairy cows at different stages of this disease. The foot problem was affecting feed consumption, milk production, reproduction and the general well-being of […] Read more

CME October 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle firm, drought accelerates selling

Lean hog futures follow cash prices up

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures climbed on Wednesday, underpinned as ranchers move up placements of calves amid drought conditions across the southern U.S. Plains, analysts said. “The fall-weaned calves are starting to come through,” said Austin Schroeder, commodity analyst at Brugler Marketing. “Placements have been pushed ahead, with the drought.” […] Read more



CME September 2022 feeder cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle, feeder cattle set multi-month highs

October lean hogs down on day

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures on Tuesday rose to their highest level since April on concerns about tightening livestock supplies, analysts said. Feeder cattle futures hit a February high, while lean hog futures fell to their lowest level in more than a week. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is projecting […] Read more


CME October 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and dark red lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hog, live cattle futures down on profit-taking

CME September feeder cattle also down

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures closed lower on Friday on cooling wholesale pork prices and profit-taking at week’s end, a day after the benchmark October contract set a life-of-contract high. Cattle futures also set back on profit-taking, but the most-active October live cattle contract posted a second straight weekly advance, […] Read more

Brazilian meatpacker JBS SA’s logo on a tower in Jundiai, northwest of Sao Paulo in southeastern Brazil, on June 1, 2017. (File photo: Reuters/Paulo Whitaker)

JBS quarterly profit falls almost 10 per cent but tops estimates

Cattle prices 'above the expected level'

Sao Paulo | Reuters — JBS, the world’s largest meatpacker, posted an almost 10 per cent drop in net profits, to US$766 million, driven by the relative weakness of its U.S. beef and pork units in the second quarter, according to an earnings statement on Thursday. Still, it beat analysts’ forecasts. JBS reported a 4.6 […] Read more


CME August 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle, hogs firm on meaty consumer demand

Production 'probably hit our seasonal peak'

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rose on Thursday, with several back months hitting new life-of-contract highs on thin trading, as domestic demand for beef this summer continues to be stronger than expected, traders said. Meanwhile, lean hog futures rose — with the October and December contracts hitting new life-of-contract high […] Read more

CME October 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and dark red lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog, cattle futures up on broad commodities rally

Lower-than-expected inflation data provides boost

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures rose on Wednesday, with the October contract hitting a life-of-contract high on brisk pork demand and broad strength in commodities on signs of decelerating U.S. inflation, traders said. Livestock and other commodities rose along with Wall Street equity markets as lower-than-expected U.S. inflation data drove […] Read more