It looks like the end of the summer doldrums in the beef market will not be enough to support a steady wholesale market into the end of the year. Instead, USDA Agricultural Marketing Service data show a continued decline from this year’s extreme weekly average high of $250.86 per cwt on a carcass weight basis.  … Read More

Softer sales and traffic, along with a dampened outlook for sales growth, pressured the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index for the first time in three months, said an NRA release. The index is a monthly composite tracking the health of and outlook for the US restaurant industry.  The health of the restaurant industry is … Read More

Managed money, or large commodity investment funds, trimmed their net long live cattle futures position for the 11th straight week during the week ended Tuesday as commercial traders also cut their net short position. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission said Friday in its weekly Commitments of Traders Report that managed money’s net long live cattle … Read More

Fed cattle weights from Kansas feedlots turned higher in July, two months later than usual, according to Kansas State University Extension survey data. The K-State Extension service surveys select feedlots around the state.  The data is extrapolated to represent the entire state, and the Livestock Marketing Information Center compiles the data into usable graphs. The … Read More

Hurricane Harvey and more saber rattling from North Korea could end up supporting agricultural commodity markets, along with oil and gas, in coming months, market analysts say. Stefan Redlich, market analyst, wrote in an editorial for Seeking Alpha that the two could support a variety of stocks, but others say events are conspiring to support … Read More

Total 2017 red meat and poultry production will be record high again this year at about 52.1 billion pounds on a carcass weight basis, but it will be led by pork and chicken, according to projections by the Livestock Marketing Information Center. Using USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service data, the LMIC projected production increases through … Read More

Southern Plains average annual fed cattle and feeder steer calf prices are projected to decline into 2019 with only a minor wrinkle higher this year in fed steer prices. Using USDA Agricultural Marketing Service data, the Livestock Marketing Information Center projected the declines. The spike years of 2013, 2014 and 2015 are in the rear-view … Read More