CME August 2020 lean hogs with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hogs weaken on expectations for abundant supplies

Cattle futures seen as rangebound

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures fell on Wednesday on expectations for abundant pork supplies as meat processors work their way through pigs that backed up on farms when slaughterhouses shut due to the coronavirus pandemic. Traders expect meat packers to start eating into the backlog of hogs within the next two weeks […] Read more

CME August 2020 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 10–day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle set one-week highs in rebound

Chicago lean hogs close lower

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures rose on Tuesday, reaching one-week highs in a rebound from losses last week, as traders noted that meat companies have been slaughtering more livestock. The number of livestock being killed each day has recovered from April and May, when processors temporarily shut slaughterhouses due to massive outbreaks […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: Live cattle stabilize, beef prices fall further

Technical buying supports CME lean hogs

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures stabilized on Monday after falling last week as beef prices weakened, traders said. The market is expected to remain under pressure as beef production continues to recover from disruptions in April and May linked to coronavirus outbreaks among workers at meatpacking plants. Meat processors slaughtered an estimated […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: Live cattle down as slaughter recovers, beef prices sag

Hog futures mostly up on technical buying

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures fell on Friday, pressured by softening prices for market-ready cattle and declining packer profit margins as wholesale beef prices continue to slide, analysts said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) June live cattle futures settled down 1.825 cents at 93.9 cents/lb. and benchmark August fell 1.75 cents at 96.175 […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: Live cattle firm on economic optimism

CME lean hogs close mostly higher

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures firmed for a second day on Thursday on technical buying and optimism that the U.S. economy may be on the upswing, analysts said. However, gains in nearby contracts trailed those in deferred months as a backlog of market-ready cattle and falling wholesale beef prices hung […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: Nearby lean hog futures slide as slaughter rebounds

CME live cattle up on bargain buying

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange nearby lean hog futures hit a six-week low on Wednesday as the U.S. slaughter pace continued to recover, generating pork supplies that pressured wholesale prices and packer margins, traders said. CME June lean hogs ended down their daily limit of 3.75 cents, at 48.65 cents/lb., while most-active July […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: Live cattle sag as wholesale beef prices retreat

Slaughter counts rising 'much faster than anticipated'

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures fell on Tuesday, with the August contract hitting its lowest in nearly a month as the U.S. slaughter pace picked up, sending more beef into retail channels, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) June live cattle settled down three cents at 95.3 cents/lb., while most-active August ended […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs lower on China trade worries

CME live cattle close lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures fell Monday on worries that deteriorating relations between the United States and China, the world’s biggest pork importer, could inhibit U.S. pork sales to the Asian nation, traders said. China told state-owned firms to halt purchases of soybeans and pork from the United States, […] Read more


The many aspects of herd health on pasture

The many aspects of herd health on pasture

Animal Health: Lots to consider before opening the gate to summer grazing

As pasture readiness nears, there are several things producers should consider before cattle are turned out. Especially when moving cattle to new pastures — new ground you or they are not familiar with — make sure they have been checked for everything such as the condition of fence lines and the potential for noxious weeds […] Read more

A few tips on livestock risk management

A few tips on livestock risk management

Consider the obvious as well as less obvious tools in the tool box

The last few weeks have been wild, even though most of us have been locked up at home. Bull sales have moved online and auction markets have been closed to everyone but buyers. Processors are adjusting lines to allow for social distancing and restaurants are closed to everything except pickup and delivery. These factors have […] Read more