Fed cattle dressed weights are down and appear to be headed lower again after a gain two weeks ago, but weights should be turning higher. The USDA’s estimate of average live slaughter weights last week was 1,312 pounds down seven from 1,319 the previous week and 17 pounds below last year’s 1,329 pounds. Slaughter rates … Read More

This year’s first corn condition rating disappointed futures traders, resulting in a rebound to recover about half of Monday’s losses. The nearby Jul contract settled near the midpoint of the day’s range at $3.72 a bushel, up 5 cents on the day.  The move was not particularly remarkable, except that it closed above some major … Read More

What happens with beef markets now that the Memorial Day holiday has come and gone?  Will consumers continue to buy steaks and hamburger, or will they revert to roasts? Consumers now are staring at only two holidays.  They won’t look any farther out than the Independence Day holiday on July 4.  Between now and then … Read More

In a turn of events that may send cattle producers and feeders to their brokers, JBS SA, the world’s largest meat company, is facing a major corruption crisis. Many had wondered why the Batista family was able to steer a small, family owned business into the world’s largest meat company in just one generation.  Now … Read More

Western states show a significant drop in hay stocks as of May 1, yet all hay acreage in these states is down as well, pointing the way to tighter feed inventories. As of May 1, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service reported that hay stocks in all but seven states west of the Mississippi River were … Read More

If there is any doubt about why beef prices have waffled in the past few weeks, one look at the breakdown in the prices for specific beef cuts will show the reason:  grilling season has arrived. Wholesale boxed beef cutout data from the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service show weekly averages gained less last week than … Read More

As US President Donald Trump sets the wheels in motion to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, the largest cattle-producer organizations in the US, Canada and Mexico sent letters to the presidents of all three countries expressing their concerns. They said the beef business would have little to gain from new NAFTA negotiations. “Recent … Read More