Beef consumers appear to be getting the message that choice beef eats better than select or non-graded, and many are becoming more willing to pay for it. Cattle producers have said for years that they would produce the kind of beef they are getting paid for, and the fact that a higher percentage of beef … Read More

Large investment funds, called managed money, again extended their collective net long live cattle futures position in the week ended Tuesday to its largest in more than a year. Commercial traders, those who theoretically could make or take delivery of a futures contract, meanwhile, extended their net short cattle position to its largest in the … Read More

Apr live cattle futures have closed higher for 10 straight trading days, leaving many investors wondering where it will stop. The nearby futures contract still isn’t keeping pace with the cash market, which traded this week in a range of mostly $130 to $133 per cwt on a live basis – new highs for the … Read More

Based on seasonal trends, feeder cattle prices in the Southern Plains should continue rising into July where they will flatten into fall. The market for younger calves, however, could soften as the push to obtain grass calves subsides seasonally and the market focus turns to feeder cattle, said Andrew Griffith, agricultural economist at the University … Read More

A Bloomberg story says retail beef prices soon will be lower because of an increase in US beef output, but retail prices already are below a year ago, according to the USDA’s Economic Research Service and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average price of beef at the meat case was 590.4 cents a pound … Read More

While the possibility of exporting beef to China should be seen as very positive for US beef producers, there is a long way to go before the first loads cross the briny deep, said Josh Maples, assistant professor in the Department of Economics at Mississippi State University. Maples made the statement for the Livestock Marketing … Read More

Managed money, or large investment funds, again expanded their net long live cattle futures position to its largest in more than a year during the week ended Tuesday while commercial traders were the shortest they have been in more than a year. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission released the information in its weekly Commitments of … Read More