File photo of a cow grazing near Leader, Sask., about 85 km south of Kindersley. (James_Gabbert/iStock/Getty Images)

Saskatchewan holds Crown grazing rents at last year’s levels

Also, leaseholders on drought-downgraded land eligible for rate cut

Cattle producers leasing Crown land for grazing in Saskatchewan won’t see a rate hike this year and may be eligible for a significant rate cut. The provincial government announced Wednesday it has frozen the rates charged to producers who lease Crown grazing land in 2023 at their 2022 level. The freeze will apply to all […] Read more

CME February 2023 lean hogs with 20- and 50-day moving averages and CME cash lean hog index (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures hit lowest since late 2021

Ballooning supplies an issue; cattle futures mixed

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures fell to their lowest in more than a year on Wednesday, with plentiful supplies and weak export demand weighing on prices, traders said. Cattle futures were mixed, with nearby contracts easing while deferred contracts firmed on concerns about low animal weight. February lean hog futures ended […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures firm even as feed prices weigh

Lean hogs end lower, pork packing margins up

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange livestock futures were mixed on Tuesday as soybean and grain prices firmed, traders said. Live cattle and feeder futures were able to continue Monday’s price bump. But the higher feed prices weighed on the beef market, as did questions over consumer and export demand, StoneX chief commodities economist […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: CME cattle firm on bargain buying, grain values

Chicago lean hogs end day lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures firmed on Monday amid a spate of bargain buying after a recent slump in prices helped mute market impact of the bearish results of the latest Cattle on Feed report from the U.S. Agriculture Department, traders said. Cattle futures also were boosted by a sharp drop […] Read more


The U.S. beef cow slaughter is projected to reach up to 3.900 million head, up from 2021.

Cow-calf producers have opportunity for expansion

Calf prices expected to remain strong for at least two years, and perhaps three

Throughout the fall, I received many inquiries from cow-calf producers regarding herd expansion. During the latter half of November, good bred cows and higher-quality bred heifers were trading in the range of $1,800-$2,200 in central and southern Alberta. Younger cow-calf pairs were selling in the range of $1,600-$2,100 in the same regions. With current prices […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: CME cattle end higher, rebounding ahead of USDA data

Hogs up after several days' slide

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures firmed on Friday on bargain buying a day after setting one-month lows, and as traders squared positions ahead of monthly feedlot data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture after the close of trading. CME February live cattle settled up 0.675 cent at 156.625 cents/lb., […] Read more


On a 325-cow dairy, these are some of the dry cows fed a two-stage feed ration as they recover from milking and also prepare to deliver a new calf. The faraway cows are fed a modest-energy, forage-based diet, while the close-ups receive similar forages mixed with a couple of pounds of corn silage and a few pounds of a palatable dry cow pellet.

Consider a two-stage dry cow feeding program

Dairy Corner with Peter Vitti: Meeting all of the dry cow’s nutritional needs goes a long way toward success

Whether dairy producers provide a single or two-stage dry cow feeding program, it is important that it maintains or puts the right amount of body condition to prepare cows for a successful lactation. A closer review of any of these dry cow feeding programs (with proper management) will find certain similarities. Plus, they should dovetail […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle futures hit one-month low

USDA data awaited; hogs down on wholesale pork price weakness

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell on Thursday with the most-active April contract hitting a one-month low on technical selling, soft cash cattle markets and weak wholesale beef prices, traders said. CME February live cattle settled down 0.85 cent at 155.95 cents/lb., near its 50-day moving average, after touching 155.375 […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: CME hog futures sag as pork prices hover near two-year lows

Live cattle mixed, March feeder cattle up

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell on Wednesday as cash hog prices remained soft and wholesale pork prices lingered near two-year lows, traders said. “We continue to search for a bottom on the hogs, and the cash market stays under pressure,” said Don Roose, president of Iowa-based U.S. Commodities. “It’s […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures sag on long liquidation, rising grains

Hogs end mixed as traders' net long position shrinks

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell on Tuesday, on spillover weakness from feeder cattle futures and long liquidation as market players responded to a hefty net long position held by commodity funds, analysts said. CME February live cattle settled down 0.725 cent at 157 cents/lb. and April futures fell 0.8 […] Read more