Contrary to popular belief, the harsh winter weather conditions are not cutting federally inspected steer carcass weights more than is usual for this time of year. It may be taking longer in the feed yard for cattle to be ready for slaughter, but feedlot managers appear to know how to deal with the harsh conditions.  … Read More

Large commodity investment funds, known as managed money, expanded their collective net long live cattle futures positions during the week ended Tuesday, Feb. 19, according to data from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The information came in the Commitments of Traders report Friday.  The report was delayed by the partial government shutdown, and the CFTC … Read More

The US inventory of all cattle and calves as of Jan. 1 was up from a year earlier, but it looks as though the herd-building process is about to end. Data from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service’s semi-annual Cattle (Inventory) report, which was delayed a month by the partial government shutdown, showed a decline … Read More

Large commodity investment funds, called managed money, increased their net long live cattle futures position during the week ended Tuesday, Feb. 12, their 12th straight increase. The data was made known Tuesday by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission through its Commitments of Traders report.  The report usually comes out weekly on Friday, but was delayed … Read More

The US needs livestock producers to develop an efficient and accurate animal tracing system before the lack of one causes significant harm to the US economy, say a variety of traceability proponents. In a worst-case scenario of a Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in the US, all commerce could be shut down immediately until things … Read More

December retail price information issued by the Economic Research Service and the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows consumers paid slightly lower retail prices for pork, broilers and turkey last year than in 2017 but higher prices for beef and eggs. The information came from the USDA’s Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook. Specifically: -The 2018 Economic … Read More

Large commodity investment funds again extended their collective net long live cattle futures positions during the week ended Tuesday, Feb. 5, their twelfth straight week of taking on a longer cattle position. The data came from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Commitments of Traders report Friday.  The CFTC got behind in making this report during … Read More