US pork and beef exports were above year-ago levels in volume and value in June, according to data released by the USDA and compiled by the US Meat Export Federation. Led by a rebound in Mexico and China, pork export value was the highest in 14 months, while strong results in South Korea and Taiwan … Read More

Cattle and wholesale beef prices vary seasonally, and it’s useful to examine how they change over time.  Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University agricultural economist, looked at these seasonal variations over the last three years and spelled it out in a letter to Extension agents called Cow/Calf Corner.   BOXED BEEF CUTOUT   The USDA’s boxed … Read More

Large commodity investment funds, known collectively as managed money, nudged their net long live cattle futures position higher for the fourth straight week in the week ended Tuesday. The action was revealed in the weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The CFTC said managed money’s new net long live … Read More

Beef by-product values have been well below the 2013-2018 average for the last 18-months, and are preventing any moves toward the five-year average. Beef by-product values, especially hide values, often are considered a bit of a bellwether of global economic conditions, said Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist Derrell Peel, in a letter to … Read More

Kansas feedlot sales of slaughter-ready cattle to packing plants rose in June, a seasonal move that falls well short of last year’s June sales. The data came from a monthly Kansas State University Extension Service survey of selected feedlots around the state, which was compiled and extrapolated by the Livestock Marketing Information Center in Denver … Read More

Growth in the average size of farm operating loans boosted agricultural lending in the second quarter of this year, as did growth in nonperforming loans, said a report by Nathan Kauffman, vice president of the Federal Reserve’s Omaha branch, and Ty Kreitman, assistant economist at the bank. However, the overall increase in financial stress in … Read More

Beef magazine recently ran a series of articles by private industry consultant Nevil Speer in which he discussed the basics of using futures and options to help cattle producers better understand the mechanics of implementing risk management. Beef has graciously allowed us to re-run those articles.  This is the second of the series, edited for … Read More