After several years of declining prices for many agricultural commodities, the outlook now is more nuanced, said a report from the University of Missouri’s Food & Agricultural Policy Research Institute called “Baseline Updates for US Agricultural Markets.”  This is a summary of the report. The report provides an update of the 2017 FAPRI-MU long-term baseline … Read More

Weekly beef cow slaughter rates have been above last year in all but two weeks this year, signaling that cattle herd growth may have come to an end. Data compiled from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service and the Agricultural Marketing Service show that the only weeks in which beef cow slaughter did not exceed … Read More

US pork imports were only 0.6% below last year in the January-July period, according to the USDA’s Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook report Monday.  Canada has been the primary supplier. US pork exports slowed in July, mostly because of slower exports to China, whose pork sector was rebounding from recent downsizing.   MORE SLAUGHTER CAPACITY … Read More

US beef imports were mostly lower for the January-July period this year, compared with the same period in 2016, said the USDA’s Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook report Monday. January-July beef imports were 4.3% below a year earlier, largely because of increased domestic production and lower production in Oceania, the Outlook report said.   PRODUCTION … Read More

Large commodity investment funds broke their string of 12 straight declines in their collective net long live cattle futures position during the week ended Tuesday while commercial traders continued to trim their net short position. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission made the data known Friday in its weekly Commitments of Traders report. The CFTC said … Read More

US beef exports remained well above last year’s pace in July, posting one of the highest monthly export value totals on record, according to the US Meat Export Federation, which compiled USDA data. In contrast, July pork export volumes dipped below its year-ago counterpart for the first time in 15 months, with export value also … Read More

Weekly average butcher hog prices continue to drop as pork cutout prices exert seasonal pressure.  However, hog slaughter and dressed weights are only a little above last year and the 2011-2015 averages. Data from the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service that was compiled by the Livestock Marketing Information Center shows barrow and gilt prices falling away … Read More