The January USDA Cattle inventory report will be especially interesting given the dynamics of 2020 and the production expectations for 2021, said Josh Maples, assistant professor and Extension economist at Mississippi State University in a letter to Extension agents through the Livestock Marketing Information Center called In The Cattle Markets.   2020 FEEDER RECEIPTS SHOWED … Read More

USDA’s estimate of US corn production for the 2020-21 crop year is unchanged from November’s at 14.507 billion bushels based on a national average yield of 175.8 bushels an acre, the USDA said in its latest Feed Outlook. The projected season average farm price for corn was unchanged at $4.00 a bushel. Estimates of sorghum, … Read More

The number of cattle populating Canada’s feedlots as of Dec. 1 was below a year ago for only the second time this year as November placements put in their seventh month of the year with lower numbers than in 2019. The data came from CanFax, a private market statistics and market advisory group.  CanFax gathers … Read More

Managed money, a moniker for large commodity index funds, trimmed their collective net long live cattle futures position for the second straight time in the week ended Tuesday, as hedgers expanded their collective net short position. The data came from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday.   FUNDS TRIM CATTLE … Read More

The USDA’s monthly estimate of total 2020 red meat and poultry production was little changed from last month as forecasts for higher beef and pork production nearly offset expected lower poultry production. The new estimates came in the USDA’s monthly World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates report Thursday. The new estimate for 2021 red meat … Read More

US exports of pork and beef muscle cuts were strong in October, although shipments of beef variety meats trended lower and drug the total slightly lower, according to data released by the USDA and compiled by the US Meat Export Federation. “While the tight labor situation continues to limit the cut and variety meat specifications … Read More

While many cattle feeders and beef packers are using USDA price reports to figure out what fed cattle are worth, many seem to be avoiding them. The hue and cry over fed cattle price discovery has increased over the last several years as a smaller percentage of them are sold on the open market.  But … Read More