As of Tuesday, managed money, a proxy for large commodity index funds, had the largest net long live cattle futures position in more than a year, while hedgers had their largest net short position in the same period. The data came from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday.   FUNDS … Read More

Temperatures during the week ended Tuesday generally were cooler than normal west of the Continental Divide, while warmer than normal temperatures were common in the Upper Midwest and Northeast, according to the US Drought Monitor from the National Drought Mitigation Center Thursday. Heavy rain fell across widespread sections of the eastern US, in many locations … Read More

August is a tough time for fed cattle markets to move higher, but they seem poised to break out moving into the last part of the third quarter, said Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension livestock marketing specialist, in a letter to Extension agents called Cow-Calf Corner.   CALF PRICES FIRMING   Auction calf and … Read More

With hot temperatures dogging the Plains and Western states, cattle producers will need to monitor their livestock for signs of heat stress, said Barry Whitworth, Oklahoma State University eastern Oklahoma area Extension food/animal quality and health specialist, in a letter to Extension agents called Cow/Calf Corner.   CATTLE COMFORT ZONE   Cattle are comfortable when … Read More

Total red meat supplies in freezers on July 31, were up slightly from a month earlier but were down about 8% from last year, according to the monthly Cold Storage report Monday. Total poultry supplies in cold storage were up about 2% from a month earlier but were down about 17% from a year ago.  … Read More

Managed money, a proxy for large commodity index funds, nudged their collective net long live cattle futures positions higher during the week ended Tuesday as hedgers added a small number to their net short position. The data came from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday, which chronicles major players’ aggregated … Read More

The USDA’s Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook this week said 2021 beef production was expected to be lower on lighter second-half carcass weights as drought continues to affect the beef industry. The 2021 beef production forecast was reduced by 33 million pounds from last month to 27.872 billion, the USDA said.   FORAGE PRODUCTION DROPPING … Read More