As rains pull out of the Plains states, they leave behind farmland that remains abnormally dry.  Market analysts are warning of possible yield consequences for the Hard Red Winter wheat crop from which bread is made, but the areas in question also are home to some very large pasture lands. The combination of short soil … Read More

Weekly US beef production is at a crossroad.  It can either follow last year’s trend and move higher for the next two weeks, or it can follow the previous five-year average and drift lower. So far this year, weekly beef production has followed last year’s trend more closely than the five-year average, although at a … Read More

Expected lower first-half feedlot placements notwithstanding, second-half beef production is expected to be near 2014 levels because of longer feeding times for steers and heifers, heavier dressed weights for all cattle and more steers and dairy cows in the slaughter mix. The USDA also thinks more cattle remained on wheat pasture a little longer this … Read More

3-17-15 – Things are getting worse for cattle feeders, with slaughter-ready cattle prices holding within a narrow, sideways range and feeder cattle prices rising. The USDA reported its average 5-area price for fed cattle last week at $160.78 per cwt, down only $0.20, or 0.20%, from $161.07 the previous week.  And while this was 7.22% … Read More

Managed money reversed a nine-week liquidation pattern and increased its net long position as futures prices rose during the week ended Tuesday. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission said for the week ended March 10, managed money, a proxy for large investors, had a net long position of 51,973 contracts, up 1,475, or 2.92%, from 50,498. … Read More

Cash cattle have yet to trade actively this week, but the few sales that have been reported are steady to higher when compared with last week. The USDA mandatory five-area weekly accumulated weighted average cattle price report lists 446 head of steers weighing 1,509 pounds selling on a live basis at $161.16 per cwt and … Read More

Fed cattle prices last week gained about $3.00 per cwt last week, but US feedlot losses still rose about $3.00 a head as the cost of replacement feeder cattle rose about $5.00 a head, according to the weekly Sterling Beef Profit Tracker. Beef packers, however, emerged from red ink to notch profits on every animal … Read More