CME December 2020 live cattle with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle edge higher in subdued trade

Chicago hogs end mixed

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed higher on Friday for a fourth straight session, supported by follow-through technical buying after Thursday’s strong close and brisk demand for beef, analysts said. But trading volume was thin as brokers waited for significant cash cattle trade to emerge. Fat cattle traded lightly in the southern […] Read more

(Olymel video screengrab via YouTube)

Shutdown urged for Quebec pork plant after COVID-19 death

Union calls on Olymel to close site for at least two weeks

The union for over 1,000 workers at a major Quebec hog slaughter plant is calling on the owner to temporarily close the facility against a COVID-19 outbreak now blamed for the death of an employee. Le Syndicat des travailleurs d’Olymel Vallee-Jonction-CSN said Wednesday the death of a worker earlier this week led it to demand […] Read more

Many plant operators are pondering greater automation of the process as a hedge against future disruptions.

Meat plants consider automation

Tyson hires former Google research executive as president

Glacier FarmMedia – Hundreds of meat plant workers in North America fell ill with COVID-19 when the pandemic hit earlier this year. It caused many processors to temporarily close or slow production. That was combined with high absenteeism because workers feared getting sick and higher rates of worker absence persist in some regions. Why it […] Read more

CME December 2020 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs up on lower-than-expected inventory

CME live cattle follow cash cattle lower

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures climbed on Wednesday as traders grappled with mounting confusion on lower-than-expected slaughter rates, traders said. Wednesday’s daily U.S. hog slaughter was 489,000 head — or 2,000 fewer than the same period last year, according to data published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For the week to […] Read more



Piglets at a hog operation in China. (KuLouKu/iStock/Getty Images)

China targets pork self-sufficiency rate of 95 per cent

Imported beef increasing in market share

Beijing | Reuters — China is aiming to produce 95 per cent of its pork at home, according to a cabinet document outlining plans for its livestock sector, underscoring a goal to quickly rebuild its huge pig herd after a major disease epidemic. The document, released on Sunday, comes amid a heightened focus on food […] Read more

CME October 2020 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures up on cash market optimism

Wholesale pork values support October hogs

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed firm on Monday, rallying after a sharply lower open as strong packer margins raised expectations for higher cash cattle trade this week, analysts said. Average beef packer margins rose to $320.18 per head, from $313.25 on Friday, according to livestock marketing advisory service HedgersEdge.com (all figures […] Read more


File photo of Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau speaking to media in Winnipeg in March 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Canada not benefiting from CETA, Bibeau says

Ex-premiers write to Ottawa with critique of EU's continued trade barriers

Canada is not benefiting from the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the European Union (EU), federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau grants. Expected to spur $1.5 billion in new agri-food exports, the free trade deal has fallen short of those targets since its implementation in 2017. In a letter Monday to Prime Minister Justin […] Read more

CBOT December corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn up as hog futures soar

Soybeans down on profit-taking

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures climbed to their highest in five months on Thursday as news of a swine disease in Germany fueled expectations of increased demand for U.S. pork and feed grains, traders said. Firm cash markets for corn ahead of the start of the U.S. Midwest harvest added support, along with […] Read more