US lean hogs hit new low - CME

Apr 24, 2023

Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) April and May feeder cattle futures hit fresh contract highs on Tuesday on tight supplies, as analysts said they expected cattle placements to continue to trend down, Reuters reported, citing traders.

Meanwhile, CME May lean hogs hit a contract low of 78.500 cents per pound, before closing down 2.175 cents at 78.825 cents per pound.

Hog futures slipped on weak technicals, traders said, as the cash market continues to remain weak and premiums in the futures markets stay hefty.

"We're seeing that cash market moving lower and lower," said Don Roose, president of Iowa-based US Commodities. "When you add the weakness on the export market, hogs are in a tough spot."

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.