China Pork Prices Rising Fast

Pork prices in China are rising fast, and a Rabobank report published by Pig Progress said it is likely that higher prices will dominate4 headlines for some time.  It may even take as long as five years for China’s pig production to get back on track.   MASSIVE HERD REDUCTIONS   The bank said the … Read More

Oklahoma Fall, Winter Grazing Prospects Good

Prospects for fall and winter grazing look good for wheat producers, said Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist Derrell Peel in a letter to Extension agents. Much of Oklahoma has received variable amounts of rain the past two weeks, Peel said.  It appears available moisture and favorable soil temperatures will support plans for early … Read More

Beef By-Product Value Up While Hides Soften

The value of all by-products that come from the beef carcass is rising and is almost back up to a year ago, but weak hide prices are holding the cumulative total back. The low value of hides is problematic for beef packers because the by-product values often are where the company makes money on slaughtering … Read More

Canada Feedlot Populations Trending Normally

The number of cattle populating feedlots in Canada is declining seasonally but at a faster rate than last year, according to statistics from CanFax, a private market advisory group and compiled by the Livestock Marketing Information Center. CanFax does not release all of its data to non-members, but it does reveal the total number on … Read More

Open Interest; Respective Long And Short Positions

Beef magazine recently ran a series of articles by Private Market Analyst Nevil Speer explaining various aspects of the futures markets. Beef has graciously given its permission for Zia Ag Consultants and Zia Commodities to rerun those articles.  This is the fourth in the series, edited for style.   USING FUTURES, OPTIONS FOR HEDGING   … Read More

Frozen Red Meat Stocks Rise In July

Total red meat supplies in US freezers as of July 31 were 9.635 billion pounds, up 312 million pounds, or 3.35%, from 9.323 billion a month earlier and up 207 million, or 2.10%, from 9.842 billion on the same date last year, the USDA said in its latest monthly Cold Storage report. Additionally, total frozen … Read More

Beef Packer Profits Jump After Tyson Fire

It really is no surprise, but the Sterling Profit Tracker from Sterling Marketing in Vail, Ore., showed that packer margins jumped after fire closed Tyson Foods’ Holcomb, KS, beef plant. The Sterling Beef Profit Tracker, published by Drovers, showed estimated beef packer margins in the week ended Aug. 16 to be a plus $358.38 a … Read More