The frustratingly slow lag between a decline in fed cattle prices and drops in retail beef prices is not necessarily a bad thing as it indicates consumer beef demand is strong relative to other meats, said Oklahoma State University Agricultural Economist Darrell Peel in a market commentary. “Slowly adjusting retail beef prices in the face … Read More

Fundamentally led live cattle futures traders probably are focused on total meat supplies and not just beef or even cattle numbers, said a well-known market analyst Wednesday. John Nalivka, president of Sterling Marketing Inc., said live cattle futures prices continue to fall, and have reached a point that many consider to be oversold. Within the … Read More

The outlook for fed cattle prices is not good.  Wholesale beef prices continue working lower and dipping below multi-year averages as they follow last year’s trend but at a lower level. The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service’s price for choice boxed beef last week was $195.67 per cwt, below the 2010-2014 average of $196.21 by $0.54, … Read More

During the week ended Tuesday, Aug. 30, large commodity funds cut their net long live cattle futures position for the third straight week as prices continued to tumble. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s weekly Commitments Of Traders report Friday listed the net long live cattle position of those funds, also known as managed money, at … Read More

The US cattle herd continues to expand, but the rate of growth may be slowing as average returns to cow/calf producers decline. USDA data compiled by the Livestock Marketing Information Center show that returns to producers spiked in 2014 to a record high of $530.22 per cow but dropped to $303.08 by 2015, which was … Read More

Kansas feedlots became less efficient in July as summer heat robbed cattle of their ability to convert feed into beef and bone, according to extrapolated data collected by Kansas State University. Each month, the KSU Extension service collects closeout data from volunteer feedlots in the state and infers a statewide data set from which the … Read More

Grocery store meat prices moved lower in July, generally reflecting larger production this year, said the Livestock Marketing Information Center citing data from the US Department of Labor, Consumer Price Report and USDA data. Fresh beef prices in July were down 6% from a year ago, chicken prices were down 3%, and pork prices were … Read More