Through the spring of 2018, we have talked about several common themes for the cattle markets that impact the fundamentals of this market. Even though Live Cattle futures finished up over $2 on Friday, the trade has been quite choppy, which gives traders little confidence that we are headed higher from here. Here is a… Read more »
Category: Meat Markets
Beef Market Update – Strong beef demand, lower carcass weights, and the wall
It has been a busy week in the cattle markets, as Canada and the United States are on the brink of a trade war that we would not have imagined a year ago. Much of that is out of the control of feedyard owners and ranchers, but the impacts will most certainly be felt, depending… Read more »
U.S. cattle on feed numbers up 5% from a year ago, in line with expectations
USDA’s cattle on feed report, released on Friday, provided little drama as the numbers fell closely in line with expectations. Due to the Memorial Day long weekend in the US, the report was released mid day and the market closed slightly higher after the report was released. Total cattle on feed was estimated at 11.6… Read more »
HyLife completes hog plant expansion, driven by Japanese demand
HyLife Foods celebrated the expansion of its hog processing plant in Neepawa, MB, this week — an expansion that has been driven by growing demand for Canadian pork in Japan and China. The La Broquerie-based company has added 100,000 square feet to the facility, including new cutting floor space, a shipping/packaging area, and more cooling… Read more »
Cattle and hog futures on a 30 day slide
Cattle and lean hogs futures have slid in the past 30 days as livestock producers look to protect themselves from downside risk. Besides oats, which are down 10% in the past month, the protein complex has been the worst performer of all the agricultural commodities in the last month. In the past 30 days: April… Read more »
Beef Market Update: StatsCan confirms Canada isn’t following U.S. herd expansion
Statistics Canada has confirmed once again that Canadian cattle producers are not following their American counterparts in expanding the beef herd. The federal agency published its January 1, 2018, inventory report this week, and Anne Wasko, of Gateway Livestock, walks us through the numbers in this Beef Market Update. First of all, for the not-so-analytical… Read more »
Beef Market Update: Riding spring highs into March
Cattle markets have remained strong, although we saw a technical correction lower on the futures market this week. “Maybe we’re getting a little numb to it, but futures markets continue to be extremely explosive whenever they tend to move. Up until this week, the market’s been building to recent highs, but futures markets, led by… Read more »
Beef Market Update: Tight supply, strong basis inspire northward migration of feeder cattle
Though you may not be able to tell from the last week of quiet trading, it’s been a busy month for the cattle markets. On January 31, the United States Department of Agriculture released its cattle inventory report for January 1, showing a one percent increase in all cattle and calves in the U.S. compared to… Read more »
Cattlefax predicts strong supply and demand in 2018 as concern over drought rises
One of the highlights of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) meeting every year are the Cattlefax market outlook presentations. Cattlefax certainly drove home the facts surrounding trade and how important it is for all U.S. agriculture at the cattle industry convention in Phoenix last week. Several Canadian attendees told us U.S. producers are optimistic… Read more »
Beef Market Update: Holding on to a strong basis
The Bank of Canada raised the overnight rate target to 1.25 percent this week, with a cautionary note that touched on the uncertainty around the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The announcement caused brief volatility in the Canadian dollar, but will this change, or the one or two other hikes expected by economists affect cattle… Read more »
Beef Market Update: Impressive exports and a sense of settling down
While much of the focus on beef has been on international negotiations, Gateway LIvestock’s Anne Wasko brings the numbers a little closer to home, in the Beef Market Update with host Shaun Haney. The United States saw great numbers for October exports, says Wasko, with “beef was up 13 percent from a year ago, pork… Read more »
Beef Market Update: A flavour for strong beef demand
There’s a flavour for strong beef demand in the country, says Anne Wasko, market analyst with Gateway Livestock, which has producers feeling good about market positioning. Last week’s slaughter report showed a 6.3 percent increase in animals killed in federally inspected plants in Canada, when compared to last year at this time. It’s good news… Read more »
Beef Market Update: Market proving itself after bearish Cattle on Feed report
Last week’s Cattle on Feed report, published by the United States Department of Agriculture, listed a 4 percent increase in cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market, when compared to September 1, 2016. In August, placements totalled 1.93 million head, up 3 percent from 2016. “There was a bearish surprise to the placement,”… Read more »
Beef Market Update: Rising loonie pressuring cattle prices
A changing supply environment has the second half of 2017 shaping up much differently for cattle markets than the first. “Already things are changing. If you’re in Canada, you’re well aware — and we’ve talked about this all year long — we’ve been in this strong basis environment where Canadian prices, because we’re tight on… Read more »
Cargill, McDonald’s & Swiss Chalet to pay producers for beef program participation
McDonald’s, Swiss Chalet and Cargill have committed to funding a pilot project that is designed to pay cattle producers a financial incentive for producing beef that meets verifiable sustainability standards. The “Canadian Beef Sustainability Acceleration Project” was soft-launched at the recent Canadian Beef Industry Conference in Calgary. It will begin in October, with the first… Read more »