First-half 2018 US beef exports set records in volume and value, and pork exports remained ahead of the 2017 pace, although June shipments were lower than a year ago for the second straight month, according to data released by the USDA and compiled by the US Meat Export Federation.   RECORD FIRST HALF FOR BEEF … Read More

Current breakeven and fed cattle price projections suggest losses to cattle feeders will continue for the rest of 2018, said Michael Langemeier, Department of Agriculturaol and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the Illinois Extension Service’s Farmdocdaily. However, prospects for early 2019 are considerably brighter, Langemeier said. Given the recent stability … Read More

Large commodity investment funds continued to add to their collective net long live cattle futures position during the week ended Tuesday, taking them to their largest long position in 4 ½ months. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission released the data Friday in its weekly Commitments of Traders report.  The report showed that those large funds, … Read More

Some of the most common questions about President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the trade wars the US finds itself are “why upset the apple cart on the balance of trade?” Carl Zulauf, agricultural economist of environmental and development economics at the Ohio State University, along with Gary Schnitkey, Jonathan Coppess and Nick Paulson, all of … Read More

June’s monthly commercial beef production held above last year where it has been for five of the first six months of the year.  Production has been above the 2012-2016 average all year. Data from the USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service showed commercial beef production, the sum of Federally Inspected and non-inspected production, totaled 2.30 billion pounds.  … Read More

US equities and agricultural commodities markets surged higher Tuesday amid news reports that trade deals may be coming. Various reports indicate that the US and China may be in very preliminary talks that don’t even rise to the level of negotiations, but traders took heart that at least the phone lines are still connected.  And … Read More

Per capita beef consumption in China is low but rising and facing multiple challenges, said Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist Derrell Peel in the latest “Cow/Calf Corner,” a newsletter to Extension agents. Peel wrote of China’s beef production issues and potential last week and this week tackles his impressions of the country’s beef … Read More