CME August 2020 lean hogs with 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Ham prices lead lean hog futures higher

Chicago live cattle book slight gain

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures rose on Thursday as firmer cash markets for hogs and some pork products supported thinking that the market may have bottomed out after declining for much of 2020, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) August lean hog futures settled up 2.275 cents at 50.225 cents/lb., crawling back […] Read more

Adapting management practices to changing times

Adapting management practices to changing times

More online services keep the beef industry operating

While COVID-19 has changed our daily routines, the internet has been able to keep us going. The agricultural community has tapped into it and fortunately, the supply chain for veterinary pharmaceuticals, feed and other services has been maintained pretty well. Internet sales for the purebred bulls and commercial cattle have pretty much saved the spring […] Read more


(Zevei-Wenhui/iStock/Getty Images)

China’s slower meat imports seen worsening its protein shortage

Beijing | Reuters — China’s dwindling pace of meat imports, thanks to its tough measures against coronavirus contamination, will provide further support for prices already buoyed by a severe shortage of pork, analysts said. Purchases of pork and other meats have soared this year after domestic production shrank 30 per cent following an outbreak of […] Read more

CME August 2020 feeder cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures, boxed beef prices weaken

October lean hogs up slightly

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live and feeder cattle futures weakened with boxed beef prices on Wednesday as large supplies of heavy livestock are ready for slaughter, commodity brokers said. Cattle heading to slaughter weigh more, analysts said, because they put on pounds as animals backed up in feedlots when meat plants closed in April […] Read more


A robot is one way to keep feed in front of cows.

‘Push-ups’ in the dairy barn are good exercise

Make sure there is enough feed in the bunk at all times

As a dairy nutritionist, I believe that good dry matter intake of a well-balanced dairy diet means everything for good milk production. More nutritious feed consumed by healthy lactating cows means they produce more milk. It also has been proven that higher dry matter intake, as well as less feed refusal, can be simply achieved […] Read more

CME August 2020 live cattle with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Large supplies push cattle, hogs mostly lower

Over 17,000 cases of COVID in packing plant workers, U.S. CDC reports

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle and hog futures ended mostly lower on Tuesday under pressure from large supplies, analysts said. Live cattle futures retreated a day after nearing a two-month high, while feeder cattle pulled back after reaching their highest price in month than a month on Monday. “We’ve gotten a bit overbought on […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder cattle market searching for direction

Feedlots expecting barley prices to drop

Western Canadian feeder cattle prices continue to trade in a sideways pattern. Compared to last week, prices were quoted $2-$3 on either side of unchanged. Most auction barns were on holidays last week and arenas that did hold sales experienced limited volumes. Therefore, the market was hard to define. U.S. feeder cattle markets were steady […] Read more

Photo: File/Reuters

G4 swine flu virus not new, China says

Ag ministry says virus does not infect or sicken humans, animals easily

Shanghai/Beijing | Reuters — China’s ministry of agriculture and rural affairs said Saturday that the so-called “G4” strain of swine flu virus is not new and does not infect or sicken humans and animals easily, rebuffing a study published last week. That study, by a team of Chinese scientists and published by the U.S. journal […] Read more


CME August 2020 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle jump to two-month high

Lean hogs up on bargain buying

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures on Monday reached a two-month high on follow-through buying from last week, while lean hog futures edged up on bargain buying, traders said. Cattle futures are extending a recovery after recently regaining a premium over cash prices, traders said. Technical buying helped support the futures market even […] Read more

(File photo by Dave Bedard)

China suspends beef imports from Cargill plant

High River plant on long list of blocked facilities

China has temporarily suspended imports of beef from Cargill’s major beef packing plant at High River, Alta., part of a long list of meat plants blocked in the last half of June. The Reuters news service on Monday published a list of meat packing plants from around the world which during June and early July […] Read more