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

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle retreat off two-month high

U.S. cattle on feed up two per cent; Chicago lean hogs end higher

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange ended lower on Friday in a profit-taking setback from two-month highs amid worries about inflation curbing consumer demand for beef, traders said. Larger-than-expected numbers of U.S. cattle on feed announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture after the CME close could pressure futures […] Read more

A McDonald’s restaurant sign in San Diego on March 31, 2015. (File photo: Reuters/Mike Blake)

McDonald’s calls Icahn demands on sourcing pigs ‘unfeasible’

Investor cites company's 10-year-old pledge

Boston | Reuters — McDonald’s Corp on Thursday said Carl Icahn’s call for the fast food chain to stop buying pork from suppliers that house the animals in crates would be logistically unfeasible and prohibitively expensive. The billionaire investor, who owns roughly US$50,000 worth of McDonald’s stock, is pushing the company to change how it […] Read more


File photo of a small flock of tundra swans taking off from a grain field in early spring. (WWing/iStock/Getty Images)

Spring planting work can kick up avian flu, feather sector warns

Three more poultry outbreaks confirmed in Canada so far this week

Spring planting work could soon start to bring unintended gifts left by wild birds from fields into farmyards, Ontario’s poultry and egg sectors warn, as more cases of avian flu are confirmed at poultry farms across the country. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Thursday reported three additional outbreaks of H5 avian influenza in commercial […] Read more

CME June 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle hit two-month peak

Rising cash markets support cattle; hogs down for third straight session

Chicago | Reuters –– Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange jumped to a two-month high on Thursday, led by firming cash cattle markets and optimism about a seasonal climb in U.S. beef demand as the summer grilling season nears, traders said. CME June live cattle futures settled up 1.275 cents at 139.9 cents/lb. […] Read more


'It is important for producers to encourage and work with female vets… I have met many that can definitely do anything that I did in practice.' – Roy Lewis.

Creative ideas on accessing veterinary care

Animal Health: A few thoughts on how producers can perhaps help fewer veterinarians reach more animals

With a lot of talk about the shortage of veterinarians, especially large-animal practitioners but also small-animal and emergency veterinarians, steps are being taken to increase veterinary school graduates. It was recently announced that the University of Calgary vet school will expand from the current 50 students as of two years ago to 100 students within […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle near two-month high

Cash cattle market firms; hog futures lower

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange hit their highest in nearly two months on Wednesday, led by firming prices for market-ready cattle in the cash market, traders said. Live cattle traded as high as $146 per hundredweight (cwt) in eastern Nebraska cash markets, traders said, while dressed cattle in […] Read more


File photo of a bald eagle at Churchill on Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba. (Enrico Pescantini/iStock/Getty Images)

High-path bird flu reaches Manitoba airspace

H5N1 confirmed in wild birds found last week in province's west

Manitoba’s feather sectors and backyard flock owners are being reminded to take the necessary precautions now that highly pathogenic avian flu has been confirmed in wild birds found last week. The province’s natural resources department reported Wednesday that the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC) has confirmed the presence of high-path H5N1 avian flu in two […] Read more



File photo of piglets at a hog operation in China. (KuLouKu/iStock/Getty Images)

China’s hog output recovers, drags on Brazil pork exports

China's total Q1 pork imports down 64 per cent

Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazilian pork exporters are grappling with a drop in volumes shipped to their main buyer, China, which has increased its pork meat production after an outbreak of African swine fever in 2018. ASF forced China to cull millions of hogs and increase imports. China continued to be Brazil’s top pork […] Read more

CME June 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hog futures backpedal off April high

Chicago cattle futures up

Chicago | Reuters — Profit-taking weighed on Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures on Tuesday after prices leapt to their highest price this month, traders said. Most-active June lean hogs settled down 1.075 cents at 121.325 cents/lb. (all figures US$). The contract is up eight per cent since nearing a one-month low on April 5 […] Read more