It’s not readily apparent in the day-to-day beef and cattle markets, but beef by-product values have increased dramatically in the past few months. Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension livestock marketing specialist, said in a newsletter to Extension agents called Cow-Calf Corner that hide and offal values, which have generally declined in recent years, bottomed … Read More

The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service forecasted China’s 2022 hog production to decline by 5% as low prices and disease this year led to significant slaughter and delayed restocking. The predictions came in an FAS Global Agricultural Information Network report from the Beijing office. Pork production next year could decline by 14% as fewer hogs come … Read More

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers increased 0.3% in August on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.5% in July, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 5.3% before seasonal adjustment.  The indices for gasoline, household furnishings and operations, food and shelter … Read More

Managed money, or large commodity index funds, actively sold live cattle futures in the week ended last Tuesday as hedgers covered short positions, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said in its weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday.   FUNDS SELL LIVE CATTLE   As of last Tuesday, managed money had a collective net long live … Read More

The USDA’s latest forecast for 2021 total red meat and poultry production was lowered from last month in the monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report Friday. The beef production estimate was reduced from the August report as lower expected steer and heifer slaughter and lighter carcass weights more than offset higher cow slaughter … Read More

Farm debt at commercial banks continued to ease in the second quarter, said Economists Nathan Kauffman and Ty Kreitman of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank in a release. Agricultural loan balances decreased by 5% from the previous year because of a relatively large decline in production loans, the economists said.  Although farm lending increased … Read More

Economic growth downshifted slightly to a moderate pace in early July through August, said the Federal Reserve in its latest “Beige Book,” Wednesday. The stronger sectors of the economy included manufacturing, transportation, nonfinancial services and residential real estate.  But the overall deceleration in economic activity largely was attributable to a pullback in dining out, travel … Read More