The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service Tuesday raised its forecast for 2019 total red meat and poultry production. The AMS said in the monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report that the annual production estimate was raised because of the current pace of beef, pork and broiler production. The 2019 total red meat and poultry … Read More

Strong buying from China bolstered US pork exports in October, according to USDA data that was compiled by the US Meat Export Federation, while October beef exports were below the very high totals posted a year ago.   PORK EXPORTS JUMP   October pork exports increased 18,101 tonnes, or 8.73%, year-over-year to 225,376 tonnes from … Read More

Both of the main players in the live cattle futures market were angling their positions toward the short side during the week ended Tuesday, according to Commodity Futures Trading Commission data. The information came from the CFTC’s Commitments of Traders report Friday. The report said managed money’s, a proxy for large commodity investment firms, new … Read More

After a dismal performance in September and October, corn demand showed signs of life in November and may maintain its momentum into 2020, said Todd Hubbs, agricultural and consumer economist at the University of Illinois, in the Illinois Farmdoc Daily. Ethanol production and export sales picked up over the last few weeks, while expanded placements … Read More

The price difference between choice- and select-grade beef is narrowing, but the spread remains historically large and could remain unusually large into January. A look at weekly average choice/select price spreads from the USDA and compiled by the Livestock Marketing Information Center in Denver show that the spread topped out at $27.23 per cwt in … Read More

Agricultural economy sentiment tied with its highest reading of 2019, according to the November Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer. Rising for a second straight month, the barometer grew to a reading of 153 in November, up 17 points from October and matching the previous 2019 high set in July.   CURRENT-CONDITIONS INDEX UP   … Read More

A major winter storm disrupted Thanksgiving travel last week and will have a variety of effects for some time, said Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University agricultural economist, in a letter to Extension agents called Cow/Calf Corner. The latest snow and cold hampered an already difficult crop harvest.  Though frozen conditions may increase access to muddy … Read More