The Canadian calf crop has been relatively flat over the past four years.

Understanding the feeder cattle market

Market Update: A major rally in the calf market is expected next spring

I’ve received many inquiries from producers about the feeder cattle market. Many cow-calf operators don’t understand the overall supply and demand factors for analyzing the feeder market. Sometimes I hear comments such as “just because there is more supply, why should the price go down?” Secondly, these producers often complain that there is not enough […] Read more

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U.S. livestock: Live cattle firms on stronger cash, wholesale market

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures firmed on Wednesday, underpinned by stronger cash trade as packers pull more cattle forward, while wholesale beef prices added support, analysts said. “It does seem like the packers have picked up the production for cattle lately,” said Doug Houghton, technical analyst at Brock Capital Management. […] Read more


Photo: ARS/USDA

U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures slip amid export demand doubts

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures slipped on Tuesday, as uncertainty over Chinese pork demand continued and animal weights were expected to increase on cooling U.S. temperatures, analysts said. Meanwhile, Chicago’s cattle futures firmed a bit on Tuesday, amid steady slaughter rates and market expectations that cash prices should continue to […] Read more




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U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle futures slide to five-month low

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures hit a one-week low on Monday on bigger-than-expected U.S. supplies, while feeder cattle dropped to a five-month low, analysts said. Traders have been expecting cattle supplies to tighten but did not see signs of it in October, said Rich Nelson, chief strategist for agricultural commodities […] Read more


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U.S. livestock: Cattle futures fall; hog futures rise as traders look at cash prices

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell for the second day in a row on Friday, with traders saying that prices were still too high compared to cash market. High prices for corn and wheat that weighed on cattle producers’ profit margins added further pressure. But traders noted the opposite in […] Read more

Beef is on display at a Walmart in Beijing on Sept. 23, 2019. (File photo: Reuters/Tingshu Wang)

Beef cattle producers ‘encouraged’ by new CPTPP applicants

U.K., China, Taiwan seek memberships; no additional dairy, feather access on table

With their exports on an upswing, the organization for Canada’s beef cattle producers says it’s “encouraged to see other countries’ interest” in joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade bloc. The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association on Oct. 18 noted the official applications to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) from the United Kingdom, China and […] Read more


Photo: Canada Beef

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures fall after three days of gains, hogs firm

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell on Thursday, snapping three sessions of gains on some profit-taking, traders said. Fresh signs of strength in the cash cattle markets had already been priced in, a trader said, and sharply higher prices for grain raised concerns about increased feeding costs. Hog futures were […] Read more

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U.S. livestock: Cattle futures hit near two-month high as cash markets firm

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures rose for the third day in a row on Wednesday, nearing a two-month high on signs of improving cash markets. Traders also said a stepped-up pace of slaughter in recent days indicated demand for beef remains high. CME lean hog futures closed lower, with the front-month […] Read more