Slaughter steer prices rose last week, resetting the upper end of the sideways channel on price graphs, yet further gains depend as much on beef demand and packer margins as they do on tight supplies. Last week’s mostly $164-per-cwt price tag on slaughter-ready cattle was the third straight week of increases, pinching packer margins in … Read More

Average annual cattle prices in the Southern Plains are projected to rise exponentially this year and next before dipping slightly in 2016. USDA projections compiled and graphed by the Livestock Marketing Information Center show a slight dip in annual prices last year for two classes of feeder cattle while fed cattle retained a slight upward … Read More

Managed money increased its live cattle futures net long position in the week ended Tuesday, keeping its position nearly flat for the last five weeks, according to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s weekly Commitments Of Traders report. In the latest reporting week, large speculative firms raised their net long positions to 110,945 contracts, up 3,755, … Read More

An important fall deadline is approaching for cow/calf and stocker cattle producers.  Nov. 15 is the deadline to purchase or change coverage of Pasture, Rangeland, Forage insurance. Matthew A. Diersen, Agricultural Economist at South Dakota State University wrote that PRF insurance is available using either a Rainfall Index in many Plains states, eastern states or … Read More

Despite losses in volume, the value of August beef and pork exports rose for the second straight month, and these values remain on a pace to close out the year at record levels. USDA data compiled by the US Meat Export Federation, a non-profit organization financed by private and government funds, shows August beef and … Read More

Despite operating in the red, beef packers may be forced to pay up for slaughter-ready cattle again this week as the cash market appears to be weathering a period of higher fed cattle numbers with aplomb. Cash cattle traded last week at $159 to mostly $160 per cwt on a live basis, up from $156 … Read More

Weekly cattle slaughter is following seasonal trends but doing so at a lower level than last year or the previous five-year average, highlighting the decline in fed cattle numbers as the herd tries to recover from a 63-year low. USDA data show the estimated total slaughter last week was 582,000 head, up 10,000, or 1.75%, … Read More