Managed money, a proxy for large commodity investment firms, upped their collective net long position in live cattle futures during the week ended last Tuesday as hedgers increased their total net short position. The data came from the weekly Commitments of Traders report from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.  The report was delayed from its … Read More

With the narrowing of the average weekly spread between choice and select beef wholesale carcass values in October, it would be tempting to think the spread is unusually narrow, but such is not the case. The weekly average spread between choice and select beef carcass cutout values has narrowed since its latest peak the first … Read More

Livestock Marketing Information Center data showed that beef carcass values declined in October while fed cattle and retail beef prices rose. Live, fed cattle prices rose, while by-product and boxed beef prices declined, cutting the carcass value and the live-to-cutout spread.  At the same time, the average retail price rose. The per-head value of the … Read More

The pandemic and other market shocks since 2019 have brought things that affect cattle and beef markets in different ways and over different lengths of time, said Derrell Peel, Extension livestock market specialist at Oklahoma State University, in a letter to Extension agents called Cow-Calf Corner. Much of the challenge in 2021 has been to … Read More

The latest USDA forecast for 2021 total red meat and poultry production was raised from last month in Tuesday’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report. For 2022, the total red meat and poultry forecast was raised slightly from last month.  Beef and turkey production forecasts were raised, while the pork and broiler production forecasts … Read More

While the wholesale beef market seems lackluster at present, unable to muster a seasonal rally, by historical standards it’s really in pretty good shape. The problem for commodity markets is that packers have not, or have not been able to, ramp up slaughter rates and raise the price of slaughter-ready cattle.  As a result, the … Read More

Large commodity index funds, known as managed money, reduced their collective net long live cattle position in the week ended Tuesday as hedgers cut their own net short position. The data came from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday.   FUNDS CUT LONG CATTLE POSITION   As of Tuesday, managed … Read More