U.S. livestock: CME hogs hit new high, led by discount to cash prices

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hogs on Tuesday set a new high after recovering some of Monday’s hefty losses, helped by short-covering and futures’ discount to prices for market-ready or cash hogs. CME’s hog index, a two-day barometer reflecting cash prices, was at a record-high 129.87 cents, which surpassed the previous high of



U.S. livestock: CME hogs end firm in choppy action before USDA report

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures settled firmer on Friday after a volatile day of trading before the highly anticipated U.S. Department of Agriculture quarterly hog report at 2 p.m. CT. Analysts’ estimates for USDA’s Friday report varied widely, reflecting uncertainty about how much the data will account for the impact of


Man feeding cattle hay from a truck.

California drought delays cattle herd building

More feedlots, 
packing plants may fail

California’s recent rains brought only short-term relief to the state which is suffering its worst drought in a century, leaving cattle rancher Kevin Kester to stick to his strategy of salvaging as much of his operation as possible for his three children to have a future in the cattle business. “We have a plan to

U.S. livestock: CME hogs limit-up on record-high cash prices

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures on Thursday jumped to their three-cents daily price limit, ignited by record-high prices for slaughter-ready or cash hogs, traders and analysts said. The morning’s hog price at the closely watched Iowa/Minnesota market surged $4.70 per hundredweight (cwt) from Wednesday to a record-high $131.49, according to the


U.S. livestock: Bargain hunters help CME hogs pare losses

Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures turned higher on Wednesday, supported by bargain hunting and short covering after 2-1/2 days of losses, traders and analysts said. Investors cited futures’ discount to CME’s hog index that touched a record high at 125.04 cents, surpassing the March 21 record of 122.57 (all figures US$).




U.S. livestock: CME live cattle slip before USDA report

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures on Friday fell modestly as investors tweaked positions before the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s monthly Cattle-on-Feed report at 2 p.m. CT, traders said. Analysts expect Friday’s data to show increased cattle placements last month as profitable margins allowed feedlots to bring in more calves for