Canada’s cattle feedlot population rose a bit as of Oct. 1 from a month earlier, right on schedule seasonally and holding at more than a year earlier and the previous five-year average for Oct. 1. Canada’s Cattle on Feed report is generated by CanFax, a private market advisory group with data from feedlots in Alberta … Read More

When beef cutout values are plotted on a graph, it becomes clear that the real money for packers is in the upper end of USDA quality grades. Beef packers have to deal with select and lower grades of beef, but when it comes to banking a profit, they get more out of prime, choice and … Read More

Weekly federally inspected dressed steer weights show signs of topping as the difference between this year, last year and the 2014-2018 average continue to narrow. Dressed heifer weights continue to climb and show fewer signs of topping, but the differences between this year, last year and the previous five-year average are narrowing more rapidly than … Read More

For the second straight week, large commodity investment funds, known as managed money, sold live cattle futures in the week ended Tuesday, as hedgers covered short positions. The information came from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday. Managed money’s new collective net long live cattle position Tuesday totaled 54,322 contracts, … Read More

Each fall, cow/calf producers have to estimate their winter hay needs, and Glenn Selk, Emeritus Extension Animal Scientist at Oklahoma State University, addressed this in a letter to Extension agents called Cow/Calf Corner. In the letter, Selk said winter hay needs will vary dramatically from place to place.  Also, hay feeding will start earlier and … Read More

Alternative Marketing Arrangements retook center stage in the fed cattle market over the last several weeks as two bills designed to increase market transparency work through Congress, said Elliot Dennis, livestock Extension economist at the University of Nebraska, in a letter to extension agents through the Livestock Marketing Information Center called In The Cattle Markets. … Read More

After an unseasonal rise and fall over the summer, the difference between wholesale prices for USDA choice and select beef caught the seasonal trend and is widening again. If the trend continues as per the 2014-2018 average, the choice/select spread, as it is known in the industry, will continue to widen until the first week … Read More