Livestock & Production Tips

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures slip from two-week high; hog futures firm

By GFM Network News October 23, 2018

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures eased on Tuesday, retreating from a two-week high hit on Monday on a round of profit taking, traders said. Hog futures were higher, supported by a U.S. government report released after the close on Monday that showed supplies were tighter than expected. The most active December […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Finishers, Livestock, Markets

Klassen: Feeder cattle market volatility continues

By Jerry Klassen, GFM Network News October 23, 2018

Compared to last week, Western Canadian yearlings sold $4 to $6 lower while calves were extremely variable dropping $4 to as much as $10 in some cases. Many auction barns held feature sales last week and larger supplies weighed on the market. Weakness in the deferred live cattle futures also contributed to the softer tone. Feeder […] Read more

Direct shipping usually delivers healthier cattle to the feedlot.

Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

Benefits to direct-shipping cattle

Improved animal health plus reduced costs equal a win-win for seller and buyer

By Roy Lewis October 22, 2018

It has long been recognized that stress of transport coupled with commingling of cattle greatly increases stress, shrinkage and the incidence of respiratory diseases. Auction markets for many years now have put on satellite or internet sales as a way to market larger groups of cattle without them leaving the farm. This is pretty much […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Hogs, Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures rebound on supply reports

By GFM Network News October 22, 2018

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle and hog futures rose on Monday, bouncing back from Friday’s decline as traders digested government reports that showed supplies, while remaining abundant, were less than expected. Concerns about the spread of African swine fever in China added support. The U.S. Agriculture Department on Monday reported that beef in cold […] Read more

The USDA wants sick pigs immediately reported so they can be tested for African swine fever. Photo: File

Hogs, Livestock, Reuters

U.S. farmers, government fight risk of African swine fever

By GFM Network News October 22, 2018

Chicago | Reuters – U.S. hog farmers are ramping up safety procedures and leaving animal-feed ingredients imported from China in storage in an attempt to keep out a highly contagious swine disease that is sweeping through Asia and Europe. U.S. government officials said in interviews on Friday they are also increasing their ability to test […] Read more

Andre Lamontagne, shown here at left at a press conference in May 2017 with CAQ leader Francois Legault, is Quebec’s new agriculture minister. (Video screengrab from AssNat.qc.ca)

Dairy Cattle, General, Hogs

CAQ taps businessman as Quebec’s new ag minister

By GFM Network News October 19, 2018

Quebec’s new governing party has turned to one of its more experienced MNAs to handle the farm file. Premier Francois Legault on Thursday named Andre Lamontagne, a businessman and former supermarket owner and the MNA for the southwestern riding of Johnson, as his minister of agriculture, fisheries and food, and as minister responsible for the […] Read more

Cattle at a feedlot near North Platte, Nebraska. (AndrewLinscott/iStock/Getty Images)

Beef Cattle, Livestock, Reuters

EU clear to start talks to increase U.S. beef imports

By Reuters, GFM Network News October 19, 2018

Brussels | Reuters — European Union countries agreed on Friday to allow negotiations to start with Washington on increasing U.S. beef imports into Europe, in a move that could ease transatlantic trade tensions. The Commission, which negotiates on behalf of the 28 EU nations, said it would open formal talks in the coming days on […] Read more

Cattleman’s Corner, Cow-Calf, Markets

Price opportunity for calves and yearlings

Market Update: Strong consumer demand is using up beef supplies 

By Jerry Klassen October 19, 2018

The market outlook for fed and feeder cattle is looking brighter compared to a month ago. Beef demand is coming in larger than anticipated due to the corporate and personal tax cuts south of the border. Recent U.S. data shows that restaurant spending was up nearly 10 per cent over year-ago levels during the summer […] Read more

CME December 2018 live cattle with 20-day moving average. (Barchart)

Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures ease ahead of USDA report

By Michael Hirtzer, GFM Network News October 19, 2018

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange livestock futures were lower on Friday, with both live cattle and lean hogs easing on worries that U.S. supplies were growing faster than demand, traders and analysts said. Cattle futures declined ahead of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s monthly Cattle on Feed report, which was released after the […] Read more

A Western blot analysis, used to detect specific proteins in tissue samples, is used to confirm BSE in cattle. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Beef Cattle, Livestock, Reuters

Scotland identifies ‘classical’ BSE case

By Reuters, GFM Network News October 19, 2018

London | Reuters — Scotland’s government said on Thursday that a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) had been discovered on a farm in Aberdeenshire, the first in Britain since 2015. A quarantine area has been put in place around the farm while inspectors try to identify the origin of the disease. “I have activated […] Read more

GFM Network News

U.S. livestock: Cattle fall sharply as Trump says he’s working to lower beef costs

Alberta Crop Report: Harvest reaches completion

U.S. grains: Corn, soybeans rise on yield uncertainty, firming cash markets

Livestock