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

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs retreat off contract highs

Corn's climb drags on cattle futures

Chicago | Reuters — Lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange closed lower on Thursday, shrugging off early support from a bullish U.S. government hog inventory report as traders appeared to focus instead on profit-taking at the end of the quarter and disappointing wholesale pork prices, traders said. CME benchmark June lean hogs settled […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: CME hog futures end lower

USDA inventory data seen supportive

Chicago | Reuters — Lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange closed lower on Wednesday on profit-taking and positioning ahead of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s quarterly hog inventory report. However, traders said the government data, released after the close, was supportive for futures. USDA reported the U.S. hog herd as of March 1 […] Read more


Turkeys. (Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Third Ontario poultry flock hit by avian flu

Backyard flock with 'increased mortality' also being tested; cases now also in four U.S. border states

A third poultry flock in southwestern Ontario has been confirmed with highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza — with another backyard flock now being tested, and the disease also now present in four U.S. border states. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on Wednesday announced it had confirmed the presence of high-path H5N1 in a poultry […] Read more

(Lovelyshot/iStock/Getty Images)

Quebec group seeks to sue beef packers over pricing

Group's class-action application alleges price-fixing dating back to 2015

A Quebec consumer protection group intends to launch a class action lawsuit against four major beef processors in Canada and the U.S., alleging a “meat pricing conspiracy.” “At a time of high inflation, it is unacceptable to make the price of beef even more expensive than it already is,” Sylvie De Bellefeuille, a lawyer for […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures rise as grains fall

Hogs ease ahead of USDA data

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange rose on Tuesday with the benchmark June contract hitting a four-week top, led by a surge in feeder cattle futures and optimism about consumer demand for beef, traders said. CME June live cattle settled up 1.7 cents at 138.475 cents/lb. while May feeder […] Read more

Turkeys. (Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Second southwestern Ontario farm hit with avian flu

Separate H5N1 strains hit separate turkey farms

A second turkey operation in southwestern Ontario has been confirmed and quarantined with highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza — but of a strain separate from the one seen in an outbreak in the same region a day earlier. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said in a statement Monday its National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease […] Read more


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

Klassen: Feeder market showing strength in deferred positions

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices were $3-$5 lower on average while calves traded steady to $4 lower. Outside central Alberta, the steer-heifer spread appeared to widen by $2-$4. Strength in corn futures contributed to the defensive tone. Feedlot operators buying hand-to-mouth have been caught off guard with the recent jump in feed […] Read more

CME June 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20- and 50-day moving averages (pink and dark red lines) and CME’s cash lean hog index (blue line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs climb on firm cash

Cattle futures end lower

Chicago | Reuters — Benchmark June lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange rose on Monday, setting a life-of-contract high on firm cash hog prices and expectations of tightening supplies. CME June hogs settled up 0.2 cent at 126.05 cents/lb., paring gains after reaching a contract top of 126.875 cents (all figures US$). The […] Read more


The Back Spacer helps keep the animal forward

An idea for keeping hogs forward in a stall

A simple device that helps keep pigs in position when collecting blood samples

An idea from a southern Manitoba hog operation’s veterinarian was named winner of the 2022 F. X. Aherne Prize for Innovative Pork Production at the Banff Pork Congress earlier this year. Veterinarian Jewel White and her teammates Ronald Nayre and Jim Kehler of Maple Leaf Agri-Farms in Landmark, Man. were recognized with the award after […] Read more

File photo of a U.S. veterinary medical officer examining tissue samples for avian influenza virus. (Suzanne Deblois photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

High-path avian flu drops into southwestern Ontario

H5N1 confirmed on poultry farm

Ontario’s feather sector is moving to a “heightened biosecurity advisory” after highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed this weekend in a poultry flock. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Sunday it had confirmed high-path H5N1 in a flock in southern Ontario, a day after the Ontario Feather Board Command Centre (FBCC) published a report of […] Read more