If USDA Foreign Agricultural Service estimates are correct, Mexico may have more cattle to ship to the US over the next couple of years. A semi-annual report from the Mexico City FAS office said in 2023, Mexico’s beef production was forecast to rise slightly but faces slower consumption growth on a year-to-year basis as food … Read More

Retail egg prices per gram of protein shot higher last year, diverging from the gentle rise recorded over the previous three years, according to February’s USDA Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook report. The pace of retail egg price gains last year also was in marked contrast to the continued gentle gains of beef, pork or … Read More

Industrial production across the G.17 was unchanged in January after falling 0.6% and 1.0% in November and December, respectively, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City said in a publication.   SUMMARY   In January, manufacturing output moved up 1.0%, and mining output rose 2.0% following two months with substantial decreases for each sector, the … Read More

Beef packers may be rolling into a tough position that could last for a long while. Market analysts are saying fed cattle supplies are apt to decline from last year, especially in the second quarter, likely forcing cattle prices higher.  However, wholesale beef price gains to compensate may be stymied by consumer resistance.   FEEDLOT … Read More

Cattle herd rebuilding could begin quickly if profit potential sends cow/calf producers into the bred cow and heifer market, said Elliott Dennis, Extension livestock economist at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, in a Livestock Marketing Information Center newsletter called In The Cattle Markets. The USDA Cattle report showed a 4% reduction in beef cows, … Read More

Japan has a well-developed food retail market that demands high-quality, high-value agricultural and food products, said the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, in a trade report, and its reopening after COVID shutdowns signals US export opportunities. Despite reduced economic activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, trade data show agricultural imports have remained resilient, the FAS said.  As … Read More

Many rural communities need more diverse economies to support their agricultural activities, wrote Mark White, agriculture and consumer economist at the University of Illinois.  His report was published by the Illinois Farmdocdaily. A recent report—sponsored by CoBank—showed that 82% of farm household income came from off-farm sources, White said, 56% from the principal farm operators … Read More