Boneless Beef Price Spread Widening

Weekly wholesale prices for fresh, 90% lean beef from the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service appear to have begun a seasonal slide into the end of the year, although prices remain higher than either last year or the 2019-2023 average. The data was compiled and graphed by the Livestock Marketing Information Center in Denver. The USDA’s … Read More

Cattle Industry On Slow Track To Rebuilding

The beef cattle industry appears to be on a slow path toward rebuilding, said Oklahoma State University Livestock Marketing Specialist Derrell Peel, in a newsletter called Cow-Calf Corner. Fed cattle prices are expected to peak some months after heifer retention begins, and, at this point, are projected to move higher into 2026 and perhaps beyond, … Read More

August Kansas Feedlot Closeouts Drop

Monthly closeouts from Kansas feed yards took an unseasonally early drop in August and now seem poised to fall to the seasonal low in the fall. August closeouts also fell below last year and the 2019-2023 average. The data come from a monthly survey of select feedlots around Kansas designed to provide the performance of … Read More

Economists Argue For Longer-Term Policy Measurements

Informed monetary policymaking requires accurate measurement of causal effects, which for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City is an ongoing evolution, said Federal Reserve Economists Karlye Dilts, Amaze Lusompa and Philip An, in a report from the Kansas City Federal Reserve. However, monetary policy and its outcomes are shaped by economic developments, so simply … Read More

Boxed Beef Prices Continue Decline

USDA-reported average weekly choice boxed beef prices continue to decline, and while they remain higher than the same week a year ago or the 2019-2023 average. Last week’s average negotiated price for choice 600- to 900-pound boxes on a carcass basis was $367.13 per cwt.  This was down $9.47, or 2,51%, from $376.60 a week … Read More

On-Feed Report Showing More Regional Disparities

The USDA’s September Cattle on Feed report showed the growing regional disparities in the cattle-feeding arena, said David Anderson, agricultural economist at Texas A&M University, in a Livestock Marketing Information Center letter called In The Cattle Markets.   FEWEST ON FEED SINCE 2019   A little more than 11 million cattle were in feedlots with … Read More

Tracking Costs Tied To Calf Value

The excitement surrounding the cattle markets is undeniable, and the cow/calf producer is set to benefit greatly under these conditions, said Scott Clawson, Oklahoma State University Extension area economist, in a letter called Cow-Calf Corner. Yet, being curious by nature, he said he couldn’t help but wonder how these record-breaking calves will work through the … Read More