The Federal Reserve Bank’s Beige Book, a monthly treatise on US economic activity and health said in its October report that most Federal Reserve districts indicated little to no change in economic activity since the September report. Consumer spending was mixed, especially among general retailers and auto dealers, because of differences in prices and product … Read More

USDA data showed that 2023 US beef exports trail last year’s record pace by about 12% in volume at 881,343 tonnes and about 19% in value at $6.69 billion. US Meat Export Federation President Dan Halstrom said in a release following the latest release of monthly export data that US beef exports faced “significant headwinds, … Read More

For the third straight week, large commodity index funds, known as managed money, reduced their collective net long live cattle futures position during the week ended Tuesday. At the same time, cash cattle dealers, known as commercial traders, trimmed their total net short live cattle position. The data came from Friday’s weekly Commitments of Traders … Read More

Using projected corn prices, feeding cost of gain was expected to decline to $114 per cwt in December from $142 in August, and then remain in the $103- to $112-per-cwt range for the first six months of 2024, said Purdue University Agricultural Economist Michael Langemeier, in a University release. It is important to note than … Read More

Between 2019 and 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted society and economic activity, said the Federal Reserve Bank in a release about its triennial Survey of Consumer Finances. Nonetheless, the SCF reveals broad-based improvements in family finances, particularly with respect to net worth. The Federal Reserve Board’s survey collects information about family income, net worth, … Read More

Most of the discussion involving input price changes in US production agriculture has focused on fertilizer prices, which have declined during the last few months, but other inputs have not necessarily experienced this decline, said Michael Langemeier, Purdue University agricultural economist, in a publication Tuesday. Each input used in production agriculture and in other industries … Read More

Boxed beef cutout values, as defined by the USDA, are caught in a range and holding at higher levels than last year or the 2017-2021 average, according to USDA data processed and published by the Livestock Marketing Information Center in Denver. Being caught in a range at this time of year is fairly common when … Read More