Managed money, or large investment funds, extended their net long live cattle position for the 11th straight week during the week ended Tuesday as commercial traders extended their net short position for the 11th week. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday said managed money had a net long live cattle … Read More

Consumer-level food prices are expected to rise this year, reversing an uneven trend lower in 2016, as poultry, fish and seafood, and dairy prices are likely to see gains, The USDA’s Economic Research Service said in its latest Food Price Outlook, 2017. The predictions were somewhat tentative at this point.  Restaurant food purchases in December … Read More

Total red meat supplies in US cold storage on Dec. 31 were 1.085 billion pounds, up 5,910, or 0.55%, from November’s 1.079 billion but down 20,774, or 1.88%, from 1.106 billion last year, the USDA said in its monthly Cold Storage report. Total pounds of beef in the nation’s freezers were 567.002 million, up 36.049 … Read More

Steer hide and offal values are continuing their 2016 trend toward a gentle, though uneven, climb toward the 2011-2015 average. In the latest week, the total hide and offal value, called the drop credit since it entails everything that is removed, or dropped, from the carcass, was $11.95 per cwt.  This was up $0.03 from … Read More

Cattle feeding looks profitable in the near term, said University of Tennessee Agricultural Economist Andrew Griffith. In his weekly Tennessee Market Highlights, Griffith said prices this month have made a run at 2016 prices, but it may be late summer before the market sees a week where 2017 prices exceed 2016. As of Friday, the … Read More

Managed money, or large commodity funds, continued their run of expanding their net long live cattle positions during the week ended Tuesday while commercial traders worked to grow their net short positions. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday said managed money’s new net long live cattle position was 101,395 contracts, … Read More

Plains states and Midwestern cattle feeders are benefitting from lower feed costs as crop production prospects look at least as good as last year, and export markets remain competitive. Weekly corn prices in Omaha, Neb., for the first two weeks of this year are slightly below those of a year earlier and are running well … Read More