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

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures sag as virus woes fuel recession fears

Bearish market sentiment also drags on hogs

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures fell on Wednesday, with several deferred months setting contract lows as fears of a global recession sent global equity markets tumbling and fueled uncertainty about consumer demand for beef, traders said. “The cattle market really follows what is going on with equities, and equities are down near […] Read more

(Photo courtesy A&W Canada)

A+W starts move to all-grass-fed, all-Canadian beef

Suppliers lined up to begin transition this spring

Canadian burger chain A+W’s next move to distinguish its menu in a crowded quick-service market will be a connection to the regenerative ag movement, as it sets itself up with an all-Canadian and all-grass-fed beef supply. The Vancouver-based chain, which includes almost 1,000 restaurants across Canada, announced Monday it’s “making a commitment to exclusively source […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle sink to new lows

COVID-19 continues to spook investors

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures ended mostly lower on Thursday, with several key contracts notching new contract lows on nagging worries about the spread of coronavirus and its impact on global economic growth and demand for beef. Commodity funds, which had recently built up a sizable net long position in live […] Read more

(JBSS.infoinvest.com.br)

How JBS became collateral damage in a war between billionaires

JBS now plans to tweak U.S. IPO, executive says

Sao Paulo | Reuters — A business dispute between the disgraced billionaire Batista brothers in Brazil and the heir to an Indonesian pulp and paper fortune is throwing a wrench in meatpacker JBS SA’s plans to for a U.S. listing of its international operations, such as its Canadian beef plant. The dispute stems from a […] Read more


(JBSs.infoinvest.com.br)

Chinese meat packing giant locks in JBS supply

The world’s biggest pork packer is poised to source additional beef, poultry and pork from the world’s biggest meat packing firm. Brazil’s JBS announced Monday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Hong Kong-based WH Group for “supply and distribution of fresh beef, poultry and pork to the Chinese market” starting in the first […] Read more




Consumer spending has been a major pillar of the U.S. economy, contributing to among other things, stronger beef demand.

Demand continues for U.S. beef

Market Update with Jerry Klassen: American consumers have more disposable income

As of mid-December, Alberta fed cattle were trading in the range of $152 to $155, up approximately $10 to $12 from a month earlier. The February and April live cattle futures continued to trade near contract highs due to the uncertainty in beef production during the first quarter of 2020. It appears that beef production […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Amended CUSMA pact includes anti-COOL clause

The new Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), a free trade deal set to replace NAFTA, includes language meant to block any future bids at a trade-disrupting country-of-origin labeling (COOL) law. The new clause would, in theory, checkmate a move made last summer by some Democrat members of the U.S. House of Representatives to have a new North […] Read more