Average net farm income on Illinois grains farms was above average in 2020 primarily because of higher corn and soybean prices in the second half of 2020 federal aid through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program and Payment Protection Program. University of Illinois Agricultural Economists Gary Schnitkey, Krista Swanson and Nick Paulson said in a study … Read More

While the National Weather Service’s weekly drought monitor showed conditions to be dry still, rain fell across much of the Southern Plains late last week. September was exceptionally dry across the area with drought conditions building quickly, said Oklahoma State University Agricultural Economist Derrell Peel, in a newsletter to Extension Agents called Cow-Calf Corner. The … Read More

Valuing a beef carcass involves working backward from individual beef items, said James Mitchell, Extension economist at the University of Arkansas in a publication to Extension agents from the Livestock Marketing Information Center called In The Cattle Markets. First, prices for beef cuts are combined to create subprimal values, Mitchell said.  Next, values are combined … Read More

Managed money, those large commodity index funds, cut their collective net long live cattle futures position for the fifth straight week in the week ended Tuesday as hedgers continued to trim their net short position. The data came from the weekly Commitments of Traders report from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Friday.   FUNDS CUT … Read More

Day after day of lower boxed beef prices can give the impression that the bottom has fallen out of the wholesale beef market, but that’s not the necessarily the case. Data from the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service and published by the Livestock Marketing Information Center through last week showed that the choice boxed beef cutout … Read More

Knowing cow weights and body condition scores at this time of year is beneficial in planning an efficient nutritional program so cows are in optimum body condition for calving season a few months from now, said David Lalman, Amanda Holder and Mark Johnson, of the Oklahoma State University Department of Animal and Food Sciences Extension, … Read More

The US may have entered a period of structurally lower pork demand from other countries, according to the Illinois Farm Policy News quoting Financial Times Writer Hudson Lockett in an article earlier this month. There were years when pork prices were high and people switched to beef, chicken or fish, said Darin Friedrichs, analyst at … Read More