Bearish sentiment is taking over the fed cattle cash market, and they could follow the direction of the 2012-2016 average and sag unevenly into a late summer low. Last year, unexpectedly strong beef demand pushed cash cattle prices uncharacteristically higher.  However, expected larger supplies of fed cattle this year are pressuring the market while chilly … Read More

While hay exports still remain a small portion of total US hay production, they continued to rise in 2017, eclipsing 4 million tonnes, according to USDA Foreign Agriculture Service data reported in a release by Hay and Forage Grower. Total exports of alfalfa and other hay (think grass) hit 4.2 million tonnes.  This exceeds 2016’s … Read More

Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist Derrell Peel, said mixed macroeconomic signals are shaking the cattle markets.  His comments were in the state Extension Service’s “Cow/Calf Corner” and were instructive and are condensed for space here. So far in 2018, beef production is higher than last year as expected, with increased slaughter and carcass … Read More

After US President Donald Trump announced tariffs on aluminum and steel imports, which took effect Friday, he announced his intention to slap additional tariffs on $60 billion worth of Chinese products for intellectual theft over the last several years.  The decision is causing concern in agricultural circles. In response, China released a proposed list of … Read More

Total US red meat supplies in cold storage on Feb. 28 were down slightly from a month earlier but were up 1% from last year, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service’s monthly Cold Storage report said Thursday. Total poultry supplies in freezers at the end of February were up 6% from the previous month and … Read More

Total cow and heifer slaughter is boosting beef production, but it also may be pointing to collective producer decisions to begin cutting herd sizes, or at least to top out growth. Data from USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service shows total cow slaughter up from last year and the 2012-2016 average.  What’s more, beef and dairy cow … Read More

The pool of available feeder cattle in the Plains may be diminished by previous high monthly placements, which in turn, possibly were fueled by dry pasture conditions. Based on the latest USDA Cattle on Feed report, net feedlot placements in January were 3.7% higher than last year and were expected to be up 4.2% in … Read More