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

U.S. livestock: Hog slaughter hits five-month low on Omicron spread

CME hogs up, cattle down

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures rose on bargain buying on Wednesday, traders said, though U.S. pig slaughtering sank to its lowest level since August as rising cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant hit meat plants. Live cattle and feeder cattle futures slumped as traders remain concerned that the highly contagious […] Read more

File photo of an Ontario cherry orchard. (UpdogDesigns/iStock/Getty Images)

Ontario to extend labour-related crop loss coverage

Losses due to COVID-19-related labour disruptions covered

A temporary crop insurance expansion that covers Ontario farms against crop losses due to “on-farm labour disruptions” caused by COVID-19 will be held over for yet another year. Agricorp, the province’s farm program delivery agency, announced in late December the feature first introduced in 2020 will be included again in 2022, at the same coverage […] Read more



Canada remains a small producer of wool on the international market, producing about three million pounds a year.

COVID-19 not kind to Canada’s wool industry

Clothing retailers were forced to close during pandemic, only to open in fits and starts as public health restrictions allowed

Glacier FarmMedia – Wool might be a secondary market for the Canadian sheep industry, but the COVID-19 pandemic still cut deep into the business as the textile supply chain ground to a halt, according to the country’s wool co-operative. Eric Bjergso, general manager of Canadian Co-operative Wool Growers, said 2020 was the most difficult year […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market has positive factors

There were no feeder cattle sales last week due to the holiday season; however, this didn’t stop many cow-calf producers from inquiring about the market outlook for 2022. This past year was one for the record books. There is no doubt about it. Waves of COVID-19 caused beef demand to be quite volatile from month […] Read more



CBOT May 2022 corn (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

CBOT weekly outlook: Corn up, but highs may not last

MarketsFarm — Corn, wheat and soybeans were all trading on a positive note at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) just days before the winter holidays. According to Scott Capinegro, a broker for Barrington Commodity Brokers at Lake Barrington, Ill., a greater appetite for risk by investors and inclement weather have both supported the markets. […] Read more

Chatham-Kent Farm Show cancelled

Chatham-Kent Farm Show cancelled

The 2022 Chatham-Kent Farm Show has been cancelled because the venue is needed for COVID-19 vaccination clinics and virus testing. The show organizers, OP Show Productions Inc. was notified Dec. 15 by the John D. Bradley Centre that the facility would be needed to host vaccination and testing clinics for several months due the increasing […] Read more