As 2022 draws to a close, beef and pork cutout values are deflating a little sooner than normal, according to USDA Agricultural Marketing Service data compiled and graphed by the Livestock Marketing Information Center in Denver. Wholesale prices for both meats tend to soften seasonally since retail grocers and restaurant buyers have their year-end needs … Read More

Unlike the two most recent presidential elections, the November mid-term election outcomes did little to swing farmer sentiment, Purdue University Agricultural Economist James Mintert said in a release. The Ag Economy Barometer is calculated each month from 400 US agricultural producers’ responses to a telephone survey, the release said.  This month’s survey was conducted after … Read More

Late November and early December often isn’t a notable time in cattle markets, but there are some indications a strong counter-seasonal year-end is in store for the cattle markets. In a letter to Extension agents published by the Livestock Marketing Information Center, Colorado State University Agricultural Economist Stephen Koontz said some events of the last … Read More

Managed money, a proxy for large commodity index funds, trimmed their collective net long live cattle futures position in the week ended Tuesday as hedgers pared their total net short positions. The data came from Friday’s weekly Commitments of Traders report from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.   MANAGED MONEY TRIMS CATTLE POSITION   Managed … Read More

The Animal Agriculture Alliance this week urged farmers and ranchers to be alert for animal activist trends, including “undercover videos,” marketing campaigns targeting human emotion and legislative pressure.   MESSAGE IN A NUTSHELL   In a release, the AAA said key takeaways from animal rights extremist conferences this year included the following: –“Animal rights activists … Read More

The Federal Reserve’s latest Beige Book Wednesday said US economic activity was about flat or up slightly since the previous report on Oct. 19. Five Districts reported slight or modest gains in activity, and the rest experienced either no change or slight-to-modest declines, the Beige Book said.  Interest rates and inflation continued to weigh on … Read More

The level of cow and heifer slaughter this year is very rare and indicates the most severe depletion of female cattle inventories in more than three decades, said Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension livestock marketing specialist, in a letter called Cow-Calf Corner.   BEEF COW SLAUGHTER UP, SLOWING   It’s too early to be … Read More