Lauren Clark, in a 2019 Masters of Science thesis called “Disaggregating Beef Demand,” provided a detailed account of the ground beef market. A summary of the thesis was published in a letter to Extension agents called Cow-Calf Corner.   RETAIL MARKET   Ground beef at retail typically depends almost exclusively on domestic fresh beef, often … Read More

The Federal Reserve Bank Wednesday said the US economy was showing mostly slight to modest growth. The Bank, in its latest Beige Book, reporting on economic activity across its 12 districts, said there was ongoing growth in manufacturing, although some districts reported a slowing in the pace of growth.   GROWTH REPORTED   Contacts in … Read More

Some traders are using and advising option spreads to mitigate risk, so Matthew Diersen, risk and business management specialist for South Dakota State University’s Ness School of Management and Economics penned an overview in the Livestock Marketing Information Center’s letter to Extension Agents called In The Cattle Markets.   DEFINITION   Spreads are various combinations … Read More

Large commodity index funds, otherwise known as managed money, cut their collective net long live cattle futures position in the week ended Tuesday for the fourth straight week. Hedgers, called commercial traders, followed suit, cutting their total net short live cattle position for the fourth straight week. The information came from the Commodity Futures Trading … Read More

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in February, has caused broad disruptions in global commodity markets, said a report about the effects on markets and consumers from the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank Thursday. Russia and Ukraine are important producers and exporters of energy and agricultural products, such as oil, natural gas, wheat and corn, … Read More

Canada’s cattle on feed total on May 1 was down seasonally from April 1 but remained well above last year and the previous five-year average, according to data from CanFax, a private market advisory company. However, the number of calves placed on feed in April was only slightly more than last year and the 2016-2020 … Read More

Total red meat supplies in freezers on April 30 were up about 4% from the previous month and up about 16% from last year, according to the monthly Cold Storage report. Total frozen poultry supplies were up about 1% from the previous month and up about 1% from a year ago.   BEEF STOCKS MIXED … Read More