By Julie Ingwersen

CHICAGO, March 6 (Reuters) - Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures rose on Thursday, joining strength in the grain markets after U.S. President Donald Trump temporarily exempted goods from Mexico from steep tariffs that he had imposed this week.

Mexico is the largest buyer of several U.S. agricultural products including pork, corn and wheat, and the tariff threats raised fears of export disruptions, pressuring hog futures earlier this week. Thursday's exemption helped lift values.

The benchmark CME April hog contract LHJ25 settled up 1.950 cents at 86.650 cents per pound. June hog futures LHM25 ended up 2.450 cents at 97.025 cents.

On social media platform Truth Social, Trump initially only mentioned a tariff exemption for Mexico, expiring on April 2, but the amendment he signed into his order covers Canada as well. The three countries are partners in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade that Trump negotiated in his first term as president.

Cattle futures, however, ticked lower as cooling trade tensions signaled that Mexico would continue to supply feeder cattle to U.S. ranchers.

"We get 100,000 head of feeder cattle from Mexico a month, and the fear was, that (supply) was going to be too high-priced. Now that (trade) is back to more normal," said Don Roose, president of Iowa-based U.S. Commodities.

CME April live cattle LCJ25 settled down 0.275 cent at 196.275 cents per pound. April feeder cattle futures FCJ25 fell 1.650 cents to close at 274.425 cents per pound.

Declines on Wall Street equity markets added pressure, raising concerns about consumer demand for high-priced cuts of beef, Roose said. .N

(Reporting by Julie Ingwersen; Editing by Rashmi Aich)

((Julie.ingwersen@thomsonreuters.com; 1-313-484-5283; Reuters Messaging: julie.ingwersen.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))