So far, avian influenza A (H5N1) has not spread to humans, even though it has made the jump to cows in at least eight states, but beef consumer response to such an event is unknown. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a statement this week discussing the agency’s actions and the risk of … Read More

Total red meat supplies in freezers March 31 were down about 1% from the previous month and down about 12% from last year, the USDA said in Wednesday’s monthly Cold Storage report. Total frozen poultry supplies on March 31 were up slightly from February but were down about 6% from a year ago.   BEEF … Read More

Global goods trade was expected to pick up gradually this year following a contraction in 2023 that was driven by the lingering effects of high energy prices and inflation, WTO economists said in a new forecast this month. The volume of world merchandise trade could increase by 2.6% in 2024 and 3.3% in 2025 after … Read More

One reason fed steer prices are fading may be because the ones being sold to packers are larger, producing more meat per head and reducing the slaughter need. A look at USDA data compiled and published by the Livestock Marketing Information Center in Denver shows that carcass weights of slaughtered steers and heifers remain well … Read More

For the fifth straight week, large commodity index funds, known as managed money, divested themselves of part of their collective net long live cattle futures position. At the same time, cattle owner, known as commercial traders, covered part of their total net short live cattle futures position. The information came from the weekly Commitments of … Read More

The Federal Reserve’s Beige Book this week said overall economic activity expanded slightly, on balance, since late February. Ten out of the 12 Federal Reserve districts reported either slight or modest economic growth—up from eight in the previous report–while the other two reported no changes.   CONSUMER SPENDING UP   Consumer spending barely increased overall, … Read More

Unlike other beef cuts, wholesale prices for fresh 90% lean beef keep rising, setting record highs in each of the last seven weeks. USDA wholesale price data compiled and published by the Livestock Marketing Information Center in Denver, showed a weekly wholesale beef price of $346.86 per cwt, up $2.05, or 0.59%, from $344.81 a … Read More