Kansas feedlot sales to packers in December rose seasonally but remained between those of December 2017 and the 2012-2016 average, according to data from Kansas State University and compiled by the Livestock Marketing Information Center in Denver. The K-State Extension Service gathers closeout, or sales data from select Kansas feedlots for the previous month, and … Read More

Data from the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service are giving few clues about the possible direction of feeder cattle prices in the short term. Prices for 700- to 800-pound feeder steers in the Plains typically decline into mid- to late February before bottoming for the year.  From there, they move unevenly higher into late July or … Read More

Cattle feeders and packer buyers could be talking on civil terms with each other this week after estimated margins for both rose last week. Returns for packers and unhedged feedlots improved last week, with feed yard closeouts up $12.30 per head from the previous week to $94.88, and packer margins up $41.57 a head to … Read More

There is such a thing as economy of scale in farming, according to a USDA Economic Research Service report on the status of US farms as of late December. Non-family farms only totaled 44,010 properties, or 2.2% of the total number of US farms.  But these farms produce about 12.6% of total annual farm output … Read More

Last week’s fed cattle basis is just wide enough in the right direction to expect a few deliveries on the February CME Group live cattle futures contract, a cattle feedlot manager said Monday. Many things play into a decision to deliver or not to deliver, but the main consideration for many is the basis, or … Read More

As US President Donald Trump makes trade and the US economy focus points for his administration, economists are unsure how the mix of tax cuts and higher tariffs will play out in the long run. Two university economists, Carl Zulauf, Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics at Ohio State University and David Orden, Department … Read More

As the clock ticks down to a UK exit of the EU, there is unfinished business with beef trade partners, leaving many questions unanswered. Reading various news stories about the Brexit, as it is called, it is clear that someone will get the short end of the stick, no matter how well it is negotiated.  … Read More