Large commodity index funds, known as managed money, increased their collective net long live cattle futures position during the week ended last Tuesday, Dec. 27, while cattle owners, or commercial traders, boosted their total net short position. The data came from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday.   FUNDS BOOST … Read More

12-30-22 – Ahh, 2022!  It was full of challenges for those in the cattle business, said Mark Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension beef cattle breeding specialist, in a letter to Extension agents called Cow-Calf Corner. Drought, high input costs, excessive heat and more drought. As much as he would like to dismiss and forget the … Read More

US beef exports to East Asia in 2022 again are on record pace after a record year in 2021, said the US Foreign Agriculture Service in a release Tuesday. Despite economic uncertainties because of the COVID-19 pandemic, continued global supply chain challenges and a competitive global beef market, US beef exports to East Asia, in … Read More

The US’s inventory of all hogs and pigs on Dec. 1 was 73.1 million head, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service said in its Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report Friday. That was down 1.3 million, or 1.78%, from 74.4 million a year earlier, and down 566,000, or 0.77%, from 73.7 million on Sep. 1, the … Read More

Managed money, a proxy for large commodity investment funds, nudged their collective net long live cattle position higher in the week ended Tuesday, Dec 20. Data from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s weekly Commitments of Traders report also showed that cattle owners cut their total net short live cattle position.   FUNDS UP LONG POSITION … Read More

Total red meat supplies in US freezers on Nov. 30 were down about 4% from the previous month but up about 10% from last year, said the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, in its monthly Cold Storage report Thursday. Total frozen poultry supplies on Nov. 30 were down about 11% from the previous month but … Read More

In general, feeder cattle markets are finishing 2022 strong with momentum going into the new year, said Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, Derrell Peel, in a letter to extension agents called Cow-Calf Corner. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service issued the final Oklahoma weekly auction summary for the year this past week with prices at … Read More