Fed steer and heifer dressed weights could be topping seasonally, heading for an annual trough in June 2026. That conclusion was drawn from a look at Livestock Marketing Information Center charts of USDA slaughter weight data that showed the seasonality of the dressed-weight trend.  Charts of fed steer and heifer dressed weights show the strong … Read More

Wholesale beef prices remain elevated as consumers continue to pick up grocery offerings from the meat case.  All primal cuts except ribeyes are higher in price than last year, and all are higher than the 2019-2023 average. In a Beef Magazine article Wednesday, industry consultant Nevil Speer said retail beef demand grew in the period … Read More

During the week ended Tuesday, Nov. 25, large commodity index funds, known as managed money, further liquidated part of their collective net long position in live cattle futures.  At the same time, cattle traders, known as commercial traders, trimmed their total net short live cattle position. The data came from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, … Read More

September US export data showed a fairly steady performance for US pork exports, matching the year-ago value while down slightly in volume. But September beef exports were the lowest in more than five years, with shipments to China effectively halted and exports to other Asian markets also trending lower. The USDA only Monday released the … Read More

During the latest large downturn in live cattle futures, large commodity investment funds, called managed money, took on a less-aggressive net long position, as cattle owners covered short positions.   FUNDS LIQUIDATE LONG POSITIONS   As it continues to catch up with weekly reports that were held up by the government shutdown, the Commodity Futures … Read More

Cattle markets are reacting nervously to rumors and speculation that the Mexican border may reopen at any time to cattle imports. Derrell Peel, livestock marketing specialist at Oklahoma State University, in a letter called Cow-Calf Corner, said, many questions swirl about when the border might open, how many cattle are backlogged in Mexico and how … Read More

Cattle futures prices have been quite volatile for several months, leading to anecdotes about large margin calls, said Matthew Diersen, risk and business management specialist, at South Dakota State University. Diersen made his observations known in a letter from the Livestock Marketing Information Center called In The Cattle Markets. From a risk management perspective, that … Read More