CME July 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and CME lean hog index (pink line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs firm on summer demand, tight supplies

Lower corn futures support feeder cattle

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group lean hog futures firmed on Wednesday, supported by strong demand that has pushed cash prices higher. “We’re still looking at tighter supplies in front of us,” said Rich Nelson, chief strategist at Allendale Inc. Pork demand firms during the summer, with U.S. grilling holidays such as Father’s […] Read more



CBOT July 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with 20- and 50-day moving averages (blue and black lines) and MGEX and K.C. July 2022 wheats (yellow and orange lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat drops as Russia considers Ukrainian grain exports

Corn, soybeans also down

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures fell on Tuesday, after Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed readiness to allow blocked Ukrainian grain vessels from Black Sea ports. Corn was pressured by falling wheat, while profit-taking pulled soybeans off life-of-contract highs to finish lower. The most-active wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) fell […] Read more

CME July 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and dark red lines) and CME lean hog index (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog, cattle futures fall despite strong demand

Markets see 'a risk-off day'

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group lean hog futures fell on Tuesday, amid outside pressure from agricultural markets, despite strength from strong slaughter and cash hog prices. “We just had a risk-off day,” said Matthew Wiegand, Risk Management Consultant at FuturesOne. “Cash trade kicked up and is trading above the board.” The CME’s […] Read more

CBOT July 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with MGEX July 2022 spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. July 2022 hard red wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat extends fall, soybeans firm

Corn books third week down

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat fell for a third straight session on Friday, retreating further from a two-month high hit earlier this week as technical selling pressured the market, traders said. Corn also eased, as accelerated U.S. planting and news that Argentina may expand an export volume cap weighed. Soybeans gained on strong export […] Read more


CME August 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: August live cattle, feeders ease on USDA report

Chicago lean hog futures firm

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures were mixed on Friday, with the nearby contract firming while the most-active month eased, pressured by expectations of increased cattle placements in the U.S. Agriculture Department’s monthly assessment. U.S. feedlots held two per cent more cattle on May 1 versus the same time a year […] Read more

A grain storage bin lay on a gravel road near Litchfield, Nebraska, about 230 km west of Lincoln, after high winds swept across the U.S. Great Plains and upper Midwest, in this still image from a social media video. (Kevin Fulton image via Reuters)

Dust storm, hurricane-force winds tear across U.S. upper Midwest

Chicago | Reuters — Hurricane-force winds tore across the U.S. upper Midwest Thursday evening, sending walls of dust across cities and rural towns, causing widespread property damage and killing at least two people. Straight-line winds up to 170 km/h reached from Kansas to Wisconsin, pushing waves of farmland topsoil across the horizon and plunging communities […] Read more

CME June 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20- and 50-day moving averages (pink and brown lines) and CME lean hog index (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs firm nearby

Outside markets pressure live cattle

Chicago | Reuters — CME’s nearby lean hog futures firmed on Tuesday, incentivizing producers to sell market-ready hogs rather than hold them for premiums later in the summer, analysts said. High futures prices “may have encouraged producers to take a little more risk,” said Altin Kalo, economist at Steiner Consulting Group. “When you’ve got such […] Read more


CBOT July 2022 soybeans (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Chicago grains firm after planting-inspired decline

USDA world report eyed for gauge of Ukraine war, harvest prospects

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures edged up on Tuesday, a day after sliding on macroeconomic worries, as traders assessed U.S. planting progress. Wheat traded near even, pressured by recent rainfall across the U.S. Great Plains, though global supply concerns underpinned the market, while corn traded near even, supported as the pace of planting […] Read more

CME June 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle firm on strong packer demand

Export demand concerns drag on hogs

Chicago | Reuters — CME live cattle futures firmed on Monday, supported by strong packer demand that supported cash prices, indicating a bullish outlook for summer month futures, analysts said. “Packer behaviour has been bullish for several weeks now. They are going after the cattle,” said Dennis Smith, commodity broker at Archer Financial. “I suspect […] Read more