If you’ve been watching live cattle futures, you know there is some significant strength making an appearance. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) has been hitting new contract highs when it comes to live cattle futures — signalling strong demand and prices for cattle feeders in the United States. However, as Anne Wasko of the Gateway… Read More
Category: Meat Markets
Now is the time for the beef markets to take a bit of a breather, as the retail buying is done headed into the Labour Day long weekend, and we wait for things to really start to pick up after September for Q4. Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange explains in this episode of… Read More
We’re midway through August, and the cattle market is beginning to pick up on both sides of the border. Beef market prices are continuing to improve, but questions surrounding whether demand can sustain a higher cutout are looming around as well. This week’s episode of the Beef Market Update takes a look at all of… Read More
Late last month, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), released their mid-year inventory report. In a couple of weeks, the Canadian numbers will come out as well, which will give us the opportunity to reflect and compare. Ahead of the CanFax report, Anne Wasko, of the Gateway Livestock Exchange shares in this Beef Market… Read More
Cattle and calves on feed in the U.S. for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totalled 11.2 million head as of July 1, 2023. The inventory number was two per cent below year-over-year, according to this USDA, falling in line with trade expectations. Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange says this trend… Read More
It is hot hot hot in many parts of North America right now. We are likely aware of how the heat is impacting us, but the question today for Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange is how is this impacting the cattle markets? In this episode of the Beef Market Update, Wasko explains that… Read More
The U.K. received the okay from Canada to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on Saturday and typically pro-trade industry groups are voicing their deep disappointment in Canada’s decision to allow it. The Canadian Meat Council (CMC), Canadian Cattle Association (CCA), and the CanadianPork Council (CPC) released a joint statement following… Read More
We’re into the dog days of summer, and the cattle markets are certainly reflecting that. Add in the July 1st holiday in Canada, and July 4th in the U.S., and we’ve got a slow start to the markets this week, says Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t have… Read More
For many, branding season is quickly coming to a close. Calves are moving out to grass where possible, and the summer season is underway, says Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange. On this week’s episode of the Beef Market Update, host Shaun Haney and Wasko discuss a few key topics including western Canadian cattle… Read More
What does a wizard have to do with cattle prices? Nothing really, but it would seem that there are some zany factors at play in cattle production where somehow cattle prices are climbing even as feed costs are dropping. Is it magic? Not quite, says Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange, but prices are… Read More
Cattle producers have reasons to smile right now, as strong prices and strong demand paints a rosy picture for the short-term. Hog producers, however, aren’t so lucky as prices dip. At the same time, grocery bills are rising and consumers have tough choices to make on protein — will they keep buying beef, even at… Read More
Cattle markets have held their own over the last week, with prime grilling season underway heading into the Memorial Day weekend in the U.S. and Father’s Day around the corner. U.S. cattle prices this week ranged from one to three dollars higher, from south to north, explains Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange in… Read More
Olymel says it has “made the difficult decision” to reduce its hog operations in Western Canada due to continued financial losses and uncertainty in pork markets. Approximately 80 employees at five sow facilities in Alberta (Smoky Sow/Dev, Pinnacle 1, Pinnacle 2, Dynacrest 1 and Dynacrest 2) and one farm in Saskatchewan (Kelsey) have been given… Read More
The road back to profitability for the pork sector is likely long and difficult as Canadian producers continue to face a troublesome combination of declining domestic demand, fewer opportunities in export markets, and the spectre of tougher U.S. animal welfare regulations that could drive prices lower. It all adds up to tough times for pork… Read More
The immediate impact of finding a BSE-positive cow in Alberta in 2003 was swift and brutal. Overnight, Canada’s export market evaporated and prices for cattle, especially older animals, tanked. As we look back on the decades that have followed, the longer-lasting impacts have been monumental, but not necessarily as clear. To dive in to what… Read More