Total red meat supplies in US freezers at the end of July were down slightly from June and down about 14% from last year, according to the USDA’s monthly Cold Storage report Wednesday. Total frozen poultry supplies on July 31 were down about 1% from the previous month but up about 4% from a year … Read More

Canada’s monthly cattle on feed numbers continue to decline seasonally, with the Aug. 1 total remaining at a point between last year and the previous five-year average, according to data from CanFax, a private Canadian market advisory group. Placements of younger cattle into feedlots for growth and finish before slaughter, however, were up from last … Read More

According to some cattle market analysts, feedlots may be setting themselves up to be overstocked with slaughter-ready cattle, or front-end loaded, in the fourth quarter, something that could pressure the prices feeders receive from beef packers. Besides showing fewer feedlot placements in July than last year and the previous five-year average, even coming in at … Read More

Large commodity index funds, commonly referred to as managed money, increased their collective net long live cattle futures position during the week ended Tuesday, while cattle owners cut their total net short position. The data came from Friday’s weekly Commitments of Traders report from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which lists the positions of trading … Read More

Much of Oklahoma has better growing conditions for early planted winter wheat than in recent years, said Oklahoma State University Livestock Marketing Specialist, Derrell Peel, in a letter called Cow-Calf Corner.   FORAGE CONDITIONS ONLY PART OF THE ISSUE   Wheat forage production conditions are only some of the challenges for winter wheat stocker producers, … Read More

Agricultural credit conditions in the Federal Reserve’s Tenth District moderated in the second quarter, and farmland values continued to increase, according to Federal Reserve Economists Cortney Cowley and Ty Kreitman in Bank release. The Federal Reserve’s Tenth District includes Wyoming, Colorado, northern New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and western Missouri. Following multiple years of improvement, … Read More

Is retaining ownership of feeder calves right for your operation, asked Mark Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension beef cattle breeding specialist, in a letter called Cow-Calf Corner.   FIRST, SOME NUMBERS   The Aug. 1, Oklahoma Market Report indicated 525-pound steer calves were worth $1,475 a head, 861-pound yearling steers $2,040 a head, so with … Read More