CME April 2023 live cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle near eight-year highs

Cash cattle markets firm up

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures climbed to contract and multi-year highs on Monday on optimism about firming cash cattle prices and tightening U.S. cattle supplies. Most-active April live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange settled up 1.15 cents at 165.1 cents/lb. after recording a contract high at 165.25 cents. Front-month February […] Read more

CME April 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures firm

CME hog futures hold steady

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures edged higher on Friday, with low animal weights supporting prices that hit their highest in nearly eight years earlier this week. “It’s a trend that doesn’t get reversed quickly, and likely sets us up for lighter weights well into the spring,” brokerage StoneX wrote in a note […] Read more


CME April 2023 live cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures mixed, remain near highest since 2015

Chicago lean hogs end lower

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures were narrowly mixed on Thursday, consolidating around the near eight-year high hit earlier in the week. Limited supplies in the cash market underpinned futures prices. “The packers will have to bid up to get these animals,” said Dan Smith, senior risk manager at Top Third Ag Marketing. “The […] Read more

CME February 2023 live cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures firm, tight supplies underpin

Hogs up off 13-month lows

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures firmed on Wednesday, supported by tightening cattle supplies and strong cash trade that continue to push front-month futures to near eight-year highs. “The cash price outlook right now is very firm,” said Doug Houghton, technical analyst at Brock Capital Management. “The overall supply outlook is for […] Read more


CME April 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures ease off highest since 2015

Hogs up off lowest since late 2021

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures fell on Tuesday, snapping an 11-session streak of gains on a profit-taking setback after hitting their highest in more than seven years. Some signs of weakness in the cash markets and concerns about profit margins added pressure. Hog futures were firmer after hitting their lowest in […] Read more

On the McGrath ranch they manage grazing at a very intensive level with various record keeping apps, charts, monitoring points and other systems in place.

Calculating ‘cow bushels per acre’

Most grain crops are measured by bushels per acre, so why not do the same for forage?

If you’re familiar with grain farming, the term “bushels per acre” is a common frame of reference for measuring yield. There are nuances around this, such as moisture level, bushel weight and protein content, but bushels per acre is a relatively well understood industry standard. When we think about a lot of the cow-calf industry […] Read more



CME February 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures extend winning streak

Front-month live cattle, feeders hit highest since 2015; lean hogs down

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures rose for the 11th session in a row on Monday, hitting their highest in more than seven years as tight supplies continued to fuel a rally. Strength in the cash market added to the gains in cattle futures. But surplus supplies weighed on the hog markets, […] Read more


CME April 2023 live cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle climb as smaller U.S. herd attracts spec buyers

Chicago lean hogs close mostly higher

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures set life-of-contract highs on Friday as a government report this week showing reduced U.S. cattle supplies continued to inspire speculative buying, traders said. A seasonal slide in wholesale beef prices capped rallies. But traders remained fixated on longer-term supplies after the U.S. Department of Agriculture […] Read more

Gerald and Patti Anhorn of Windy Ridge Ranching Co. Ltd. near Elrose, Sask. earned recognition in 2022 as the Saskatchewan nominees for the Canadian Cattleman's Association, The Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA).

Grass management factors into environmental award

Healthy pastures for cattle also mean healthy habitat for wildlife

Patti Anhorn grew up on a grain farm in the Elrose, Saskatchewan area, and while she loved that, it quickly became apparent her family’s farm was missing something. Namely, cattle and horses. She jokes her parents would ship her over to a nearby farm that had livestock and horses so she could get her fill. […] Read more