Live and feeder cattle futures settled sharply higher Thursday amid fears that cash cattle would trade higher this week when futures already lagged cash, market sources said. Apr live cattle settled up $3.57 per cwt with Jun up the daily limit of $3.00 at $121.52. Aug, Oct, Dec, Feb and Apr also settled limit up. … Read More
Deferred-Delivery Sales Hint At Cattle Market Fears
Plains feedlots are beginning to sell cattle for delivery beyond the customary week to 10 days, hinting that fears of lower prices to come are beginning to permeate the trade. Friday’s USDA Cattle on Feed report showed the total number of cattle and calves munching grain in US feedlots was slightly above a year earlier … Read More
Frozen Red Meat Supplies Down 5%
Total red meat supplies in US freezers at the end of March were down 5% from February and were down 7% from last year, a situation that is somewhat worrisome to beef and pork buyers. The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service made the statement in its monthly Cold Storage report Monday. In the report, NASS … Read More
Beef Consumers Get The Memo: Choice Is Better
Beef consumers appear to be getting the message that choice beef eats better than select or non-graded, and many are becoming more willing to pay for it. Cattle producers have said for years that they would produce the kind of beef they are getting paid for, and the fact that a higher percentage of beef … Read More
Funds Take Long Cattle Position Even Higher
Large investment funds, called managed money, again extended their collective net long live cattle futures position in the week ended Tuesday to its largest in more than a year. Commercial traders, those who theoretically could make or take delivery of a futures contract, meanwhile, extended their net short cattle position to its largest in the … Read More
Many Wonder About Cattle Top
Apr live cattle futures have closed higher for 10 straight trading days, leaving many investors wondering where it will stop. The nearby futures contract still isn’t keeping pace with the cash market, which traded this week in a range of mostly $130 to $133 per cwt on a live basis – new highs for the … Read More
Seasonals Point To Higher Feeder Cattle Prices
Based on seasonal trends, feeder cattle prices in the Southern Plains should continue rising into July where they will flatten into fall. The market for younger calves, however, could soften as the push to obtain grass calves subsides seasonally and the market focus turns to feeder cattle, said Andrew Griffith, agricultural economist at the University … Read More