Rising interest rates affect farming in a big way as the capital-intensive businesses must generate the cash flow necessary to obtain favor with their local banks. The Federal Open Market Committee is meeting this week, and news outlets give the committee about a 60% chance of raising the Fed Funds rate another ¼ point, the … Read More

The USDA announced Monday the details of a protocol that will allow US beef and beef products to be exported to China for the first time since December 2003. A USDA press release said it was part of the US-China 100-Day Action plan announced May 11, by US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and Secretary … Read More

The USDA’s World Agriculture Outlook Board Friday lowered its outlook for total 2017 US meat and poultry production from last month but raised it for 2018. The Board’s monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report showed reduced production estimates for beef, pork, chicken and turkey for this year from the report in May.  Estimates … Read More

In a move that is sure to draw fire from the more conservative US producer groups, Reuters reports that Smithfield Foods Inc.’s owner, China-based WH Group Ltd 0288.HK, is looking for US and European beef and poultry assets to buy. The story said such a move would lift Smithfield’s meat processing capacity and put it … Read More

Total quarterly red meat and poultry production was up and expected to rise each quarter through 2018. The Livestock Marketing Information Center took quarterly data from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service and forecast beef, pork, lamb, chicken and turkey production.  The upshot is that US consumers will have plenty of protein in their local … Read More

US beef exports dropped counter-seasonally in April but still remained above last year and the previous five-year average, said the USDA’s Economic Research Service and Foreign Agricultural Service. Data from the two services showed that total beef, veal and variety meat, exports amounted to 218.353 million pounds in April, down 15.675 million, or 6.69%, from … Read More

The number of fed cattle Kansas feedlots sold to packer buyers in April dropped more sharply than normal as managers tried to take advantage of packer demand and get ahead of what seemed to be lower prices to come. The Kansas State University Extension Service surveys representative feed yards around the state about their activities … Read More