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

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures extend gains

Chicago hog futures weak

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade live cattle contracts rose on Thursday, touching a fresh seven-year high, with tight supplies boosting cash market prices and lending support to futures. Hog futures eased after rising in five of the previous six sessions, but losses were kept in check by signs of good consumer demand. […] Read more

OneCup AI wants to promote its BETSY tracking and surveillance system in dairy cattle. The technology is currently being used on ranches in western Canada and in other species such as horses, sheep and goats.

Livestock monitoring start-up targets Ontario market

OneCup AI moves from facial recognition to full-body ID

A western Canadian company specializing in livestock monitoring has increased its offering to farmers as the affordability and effectiveness of artificial intelligence has improved.  At the recent Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (COFS) in Woodstock, OneCup AI announced its newest achievement: facial identification for poultry. CEO Mokah Shmigelsky used news of the poultry innovation to draw […] Read more


CME December 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with 40-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures hit over seven-year high

CME lean hogs also close higher

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts rose on Tuesday and the front-month contract hit its highest in more than seven years on strength in the cash market, traders said. Hog futures were also firm, with chart-based buying after contracts broke through key technical resistance points on Monday. CME December lean hog […] Read more

CME December 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 30- and 50-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle, hog futures hit multi-week highs

November feeder cattle end lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog and live cattle futures rallied to multi-week highs on Monday. CME December lean hog futures rose 2.7 cents to settle at 84.95 cents/lb. (all figures US$). The contract peaked at 85.1 cents, its highest since Sept. 23, and rose above its 100-day and 200-day moving averages during […] Read more


CME December 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 30- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures rise on good demand

Cattle futures mostly lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures climbed to a near three-week high on Friday as strong demand and improved pork packer margins sparked buying ahead of the weekend, traders said. Another solid week of pork export sales added support, soothing concerns about rising supplies of market-ready hogs, they said. “Demand is […] Read more

The Aquastar mattress has a 1.5-inch latex memory foam layer at its base, with a single chamber that ensures none of the cow’s body is in contact with a hard surface. The kneeboard, called the Aquaboard, is also water-filled.

Cow mattress has cooling potential

Single-chamber waterbed uses conductive energy to keep cows cooler

Holstein heifers at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (COFS) had the comfort of new waterbeds which, according to manufacturer Bioret, allow the animals’ body heat to dissipate more effectively than other bedding or surfaces in the industry. Why it matters: With Ontario’s hot summers, heat stress in dairy cattle has the potential to impact milk yield […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs mostly down on weak margins, inflation worries

Beef packer margins in negative territory

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle and hog futures ended mostly lower on Thursday on eroding meat packer margins and as soaring inflation raises demand concerns, traders said. Technical selling and profit-taking further fueled declines in livestock futures after live cattle and lean hog contracts touched 2-1/2-week highs this week. A U.S. Labor […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: Live cattle mostly up with consumption forecast

Chicago lean hogs also up on day

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures ended mostly firmer on Wednesday as wholesale beef prices stabilized after a recent slide and as a monthly government report helped to temper concerns about waning consumption. Gains were capped by eroding beef packer margins, although cattle demand is likely to remain high this week […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: Live cattle firm as packer margins turn negative

Lean hog futures settle lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures firmed on Tuesday as supplies tighten, with beef packer margins falling into the negative for the first time in years, traders said. Beef packers lost $14.35 per head on Tuesday, compared to earnings of $1.60 a day earlier and $18.40 the week before, according to […] Read more