Large commodity investment funds, known as managed money, continued to liquidate live cattle futures contracts during the week ended Tuesday, as hedgers covered short positions. The data for both trading positions came from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday. Managed money’s new collective net long position Tuesday stood at 30,312 … Read More

Resumption of a long-term trend in fed cattle carcass weights could have negative demand consequences for cattle feeders, said Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University livestock marketing specialist, in a letter to Extension agents called Cow/Calf Corner. However, multiple research studies have shown that bigger carcasses and the resulting larger cuts have some negative demand implications, … Read More

The decline in the percentage of choice beef carcasses produced last year, combined with lower weights and fewer steers sent to market resulted in some very tight supplies of choice beef and a wide choice/select spread through much of the last half of the year, a university economist said. David Anderson, extension agricultural economist at … Read More

Farm real estate strength provided support to the agricultural sector during the fourth quarter of last year amid ongoing financial challenges, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City said in a release. According to the Tenth District Survey of Agricultural Credit Conditions, nonirrigated cropland values and cash rents increased slightly in the quarter.  Credit conditions … Read More

The USDA’s Economic Research Service predicted in its monthly Situation and Outlook Report that total US corn use this year would be unchanged from last year as 50 million bushels shifts from exports to ethanol production. With total supply and use steady, projected ending stocks remained unchanged at the lowest level since the 2015/16 marketing … Read More

If feedlot managers ever wonder why packer buyers won’t pay more for a pen of cattle that are likely to yield a better-than-average percentage of prime-grading carcasses, it’s because the packer has to sell the whole carcass. The difference between prime beef and other grades is the amount of intermuscular fat, called marbling.  This fat … Read More

A prominent university agricultural economist is predicting expanded US beef exports and leaner beef imports this year, making for stronger fed cattle markets at home. Oklahoma State University Agricultural Economist Derrell Peel said in a letter to Extension Agents called Cow/Calf Corner that 2020 beef exports could increase with better prospects in China.  US beef … Read More