2-20-25 – With wholesale beef prices declining and packers thought to be deeply in the red, some are beginning to wonder if the bloom may be off the rose for cattle markets. It’s the wrong season to declare a decline in boxed beef prices a harbinger of things to come, but if the decline … Read More
Farmland Values Flatten Amid Modest Credit Deterioration
Agricultural real estate values in the Kansas City Federal Reserve district were flat through the end of 2024 as credit conditions deteriorated slightly, said a Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank report. The report was authored by Federal Reserve Economists Ty Kreitman and Nate Kauffman and was the result of a survey of 10th district banks. … Read More
Managed Money Cuts Long Live Cattle Position
Large commodity index funds, known as managed money, cut their collective net long live cattle futures position during the week ended last Tuesday, Feb. 11, as commercial traders trimmed their total net short position. The data came from the weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. FUNDS SELL CATTLE … Read More
A New Perspective On Herd Rebuilding
It seems everyone in the US cattle and beef industries is trying to be the first to point to data that shows cow/calf producers are trying to rebuild their herds. With that said, Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University livestock marketing specialist came up with a novel way of looking at cow culling versus heifer retention. … Read More
Kansas December Feedlot Closeouts Rise From November
Kansas feedlots finished 2024 monthly sales to beef packers on a strong note, surpassing 2023’s sales but falling a little short of the 2018-2022 average pace. The data came from data collected by the Kansas State University Extension service from select feedlots across the state and compiled and published by the Livestock Marketing Information Center … Read More
USDA Raises 2025 Beef, Pork Production Estimates
The USDA’s latest 2025 beef and pork production forecasts were raised from last month in its monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report Tuesday, while chicken output was expected to be about steady with the January report. MEXICAN BORDER REOPENS On Feb. 1, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced the … Read More
Placement Weight Bias Linked To Price Spread
In case anyone was wondering why the January USDA Cattle on Feed report showed a bias in feedlot placement weights toward heavier calves and feeder cattle, the price difference may have had a lot to do with it. Data from the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service compiled and graphed by the Livestock Marketing Information Center in … Read More