A German consumer survey about pork purchases may be instructive for cattle producers by providing insight into the consumer psyche. When purchasing pork, consumers appeared very interested in information about individual farms where the pigs were kept, animal health and welfare.  They seem willing to pay more for this information, even if they didn’t read … Read More

Monday’s monthly USDA Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook reduced its beef production forecast for first-half 2018 on an expected slower pace of fed cattle slaughter and lighter cattle weights. More fed cattle were expected to be slaughter and at heavier weights in the second half of 2018, annual beef production was pared about 50 million … Read More

Large commodity investment funds, called managed money, gave up more of their collective net long live cattle futures position during the week ended Tuesday, taking their position to its lowest point in more than a year. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, in its weekly Commitments of Traders report, also said commercial traders, those who own … Read More

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