(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle hit new contract lows before report

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures sped to new contract lows, accelerated by bearish fundamentals and positioning before the government’s monthly Cattle on Feed report at 2 p.m. CT, traders said. Simultaneously, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will issue its monthly cold storage data that will include total March beef and […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder cattle mixed across the Prairies

Market sentiment can be extremely variable and this week, we saw a large divergence in the price structure across the Prairies. Alberta feeder cattle prices were generally $3 to $6 higher and in some cases as much as $10 above week-ago levels. Buying interest appeared to fade moving east, with Manitoba markets dropping $4-$8 from […] Read more




(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle rally ahead of USDA report

Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures gained for a second day in row on Friday, supported by follow-through buying after contracts settled up by their 3-cent-per-lb daily price limit on Thursday, said traders. Investors also tweaked positions before Friday’s U.S. Department of Agriculture monthly Cattle-On-Feed report at 2 p.m. CT. At […] Read more

(USDA.gov via Flickr)

U.S. feedlot cattle count not as low as expected

Chicago | Reuters — Cattle placed into U.S. feedlots in December slipped one per cent from a year earlier to their lowest level since 1998, based on a U.S. Department of Agriculture report Friday, but were slightly above average industry expectations. Feedlots finally purchased less-expensive calves, or feeder cattle, that had grown heavier on healthy […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Bounce in fed cattle supports feeders

Feeder cattle prices ended the year on a soft tone, trading steady with week-ago levels. Most auction barns were in holiday mode, resulting in minimal sales across the Prairies. Christmas couldn’t come soon enough for feedlot operators and the bounce in the live cattle futures early in the week was a refreshing gift. This past […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle rally limit-up before report

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures settled up by their three-cent/lb. price limit Friday, driven by short-covering and technical buying, traders said. Investors tweaked positions ahead of Friday’s U.S. Department of Agriculture monthly Cattle on Feed report at 2 p.m. CT. Spot December ended at 120.15 cents, and February 125.525 cents, […] Read more

(USDA.gov via Flickr)

U.S. Nov. feedlot cattle placements slump to record low

Chicago | Reuters –– Cattle movement into U.S. feedlots in November fell 11 per cent from a year ago to their lowest level since the government began compiling the data in 1996, a U.S. Department of Agriculture report showed on Friday. Analysts attributed last month’s much smaller-than-expected placements to deteriorating margins that prompted feedyards to […] Read more