As the Trans-Pacific Partnership heads to Congress for approval, there is plenty of controversy about whether the accord that will open export-market doors goes far enough to promote US interests. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association issued a statement saying the trade agreement among 12 Pacific Rim countries concerning a variety of matters, including tariffs, was … Read More

US meat inventories are growing, increasing the competition for consumer attention.  Beef, pork and chicken industries give every indication of having ample, or even growing, supplies through 2016. Volumes of red meat and poultry in cold storage surpass year-ago and 2009-2013 averages by wide margins, and breeding herds and flocks either are near record large … Read More

Fed cattle prices have dropped every week since the first week of August, only the second time since 1974 that a drop of this magnitude has occurred in this period, and the drop may not be over. In Kansas alone, prices have dropped 13.4% over the period, going to an average of $129.94 the week … Read More

In the week ended Tuesday, managed money, or large fund speculators, increased their net long position in live cattle futures by a small margin as futures prices attempted, but failed, to stabilize. During the week, managed money’s net long position increased 1,097 contracts, or 21.9%, to 6,098 from 5,001 the week before, according to the … Read More

Kansas feedlots, and likely those in other states, are getting more efficient, according to data collected by Kansas State University agricultural economists. Feedlots are working through their inventory of that have been there a long time, thus improving the pounds of feed to pounds of gain ratio.  The number of head sold to packing plants … Read More

The price spread between choice and select beef at the wholesale level has taken an unprecedented turn lower over the last three weeks, dropping to $4.28, choice premium, last week, but the reasons aren’t exactly clear. What is clear is that consumers are being drawn away from the more expensive choice beef products and toward … Read More

Rabobank’s Third Quarter Beef Quarterly report expects US beef exports to remain challenged while Brazilian beef exports could rise. “With little change expected in major beef-trading economies in the coming quarter, other than the possibility of the US Federal Open Market Committee raising interest rates, a strong US currency is expected to continue to affect … Read More