The Government Accountability Office Tuesday issued a report on its study of issues affecting the US cattle market and made two recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture that could affect data sharing at the government level. The GAO made two recommendations:  that USDA review the extent to which, under statute, the price reporting group can … Read More

Consolidation and modernization continue to shape China’s livestock outlook, according to USDA Foreign Agricultural Service staff in a report Wednesday. Because of the modernization and consolidation, China’s beef production was expected to rise by 1% in 2018 to 7.4 million tonnes.  However, the staff said China’s appetite for beef could grow by 3% to 8.4 … Read More

While most agriculture markets parsed the bullishness or bearishness of Tuesday’s USDA’s World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates report, many skimmed over the bullish aspects of the report to livestock markets. The report lowered its estimate for total red meat and poultry production this year from last month’s estimate.  Forecasts for all major meats were … Read More

Block trading, a new type of activity allowed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, reduces transparency in agricultural futures markets, said a group of grain industry representatives at a CFTC Agricultural Advisory Committee meeting in Overland Park, Kan., last week. According to “Investopedia,” a block trade “is an order or trade submitted for the sale … Read More

Large commodity investment funds, known collectively as managed money, continued to liquidate their net long live cattle futures position during the week ended Tuesday, according to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The CFTC said in its weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday that managed money’s new live cattle position was long by 34,940 contracts, down … Read More

Kansas fed cattle that were sold to packers for slaughter, or marketed, in February spent more time on feed than either their 2017 counterparts or those sold in the 2012-2016 timeframe. The data comes from a monthly Kansas State University survey of select, representative, feedlots.  Data from these facilities is compiled and extrapolated by the … Read More

“And the beat goes on.” The lyrics and title of the Sonny and Cher song seem to apply in the case of tit-for-tat tariffs between the US and China as China announced its intention to implement 25% tariffs on even more imports early Wednesday.  And this time, the list includes US beef. The list also … Read More