With much of the value of US meat production tied to exports, it’s not surprising that a work slowdown by West Coast longshoremen concerns some agricultural economists. The slowdown at 29 US West Coast ports has been in place since Oct. 31 after the Pacific Maritime Association, and the International Longshoreman and Warehouse Union could … Read More

The bloom is off the rose for the cattle industry as the futures market, cash prices for slaughter-ready steers, feeder cattle and even slaughter cows fall in January. USDA statistics show Southern Plains slaughter steer prices last week averaged $159.82 per cwt, down $9.89 from $169.65 in the first full week in January – a … Read More

Managed money and cattle producers took themselves to the lowest net long or short positions in more than a year during the week ended Tuesday, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said. Managed money liquidated long positions, while producers covered short positions. The CFTC’s weekly Commitments of Traders report showed managed money with a net 70,319 … Read More

The European Central Bank’s announcement Thursday that it intended to begin its own Quantitative Easing program in March hurt US agriculture, and it will continue to do so until it ends. Thursday, ECB President Mario Draghi surprised the world with a QE plan similar to the one the US ended last year.  He said the … Read More

Cattle feedlots now are losing about $3.04 on every head of slaughter-ready cattle they sell after last week’s cash price for live animals fell $5.00 per cwt.  Margins dropped nearly $55 a head on the decline. The numbers come from the Sterling Profit Tracker, a weekly publication of Sterling Marketing in Vale, Ore. The latest … Read More

Feeder steer prices in the Southern Plains continue to fall rapidly, although they still have a long way to go before reaching year-earlier or average levels. The USDA reported feeder cattle and calves weighing more than 600 pounds were mostly $5 to $15 per cwt lower last week than the year before.  In some instances, … Read More

Managed money investors and cattle producers made only small changes to their net long or short positions during the week ended Jan. 13, a week when futures prices and total open interest were dropping. In its weekly Commitments of Traders report, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission reported that managed money, a proxy for large investors, … Read More