Taken together, the USDA’s July Cattle on Feed and Cattle (Inventory) reports do not indicate significant heifer retention, said Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension livestock marketing specialist, in a newsletter. Peel said he felt some movement toward herd rebuilding may be starting, but it’s very slow and cautious.  It is possible, perhaps even likely, … Read More

While there are seasonalities to the flow of wholesale beef and pork primal cuts, room remains for much diversity from year to year for each. Choice beef carcass negotiated prices appear to have peaked for the year, but some of the cuts may not have done so.  The same for pork, although pork may see … Read More

Large commodity index firms, known as managed money, trimmed their collective net long live cattle futures position during the week ended Tuesday as hedgers covered some of their net short positions. The information came from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday.   FUNDS SELL CATTLE FUTURES   Tuesday, managed money … Read More

The weekly US Drought Monitor Thursday showed continued improvement in drought-related conditions across areas of the Midwest (Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota), central and northern Plains (Kansas, Nebraska, Dakotas, eastern Montana), South (Texas), and in the Desert Southwest (New Mexico). That left the western states as the area most affected by drought and the … Read More

In a Livestock Marketing Information Center letter called In The Cattle Markets, University of Florida Extension Beef and Forage Economist Hannah Baker looked at the economics of a cow/calf producer, concluding things looked good for now. In a Southern Ag Today article, the trends in farm operating costs over the last few years were discussed … Read More

Consumer demand for chicken and turkey during the first half of 2025 rose, with first-quarter chicken consumption up 140 million pounds from first-quarter 2024, the Livestock Marketing Information Center said in a report called Livestock Monitor. Preliminary estimates of second-quarter chicken consumption indicated an increase of about 250 million pounds from a year earlier, the … Read More

For those looking for a singular indication that US cattle herd rebuilding has begun, the USDA’s midyear report isn’t giving then any love. The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Friday that the US herd of cattle and calves numbered 94.2 million head, down 1.2 million, or 1.26%, from 95.4 million two years earlier, the … Read More