Despite forecasts for annual growth, chicken egg sets in hatcheries generally ran below a year earlier in March and April. USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service data for the week ended May 14, the latest week available, showed a 1.758-million, or 0.83%, year-over-year decline in broiler eggs set to 210.074 million from 211.832 million.  Declines compared to … Read More

US 2016 and 2017 red meat and poultry production forecasts were lowered from those made a month ago, although 2017 forecasts continue to forecast production growth. The USDA’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report Friday credited higher feed costs for dampening the rate of production growth. Southern Plains corn, sorghum and wheat prices have … Read More

April US beef and pork export volumes were below those of a year ago and the previous five-year average, according to statistics released by USDA and compiled by the US Meat Export Federation. Data from the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service and the Economic Research Service show that through the first four months of 2016, beef … Read More

Weekly feeder steer prices in the Southern Plains are bouncing around near or just above the 2010-2014 average, which means they could be in for a slow rise, were it not for the rising supply. Data from the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service compiled by the Livestock Marketing Information Center show the slow rise in prices … Read More

The Consumer Sentiment Index at the end of May was reported by the University of Michigan to be 94.7, a substantial jump from April’s 89, but the joy may be short-lived, cutting into choice beef demand in coming months, says a University agricultural economist. Brenda Boetel, Professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Wisconsin-River … Read More

The difference between the USDA’s choice and select cutout values, called the choice/select spread, is widening at a rapid pace, but the reasons for the move are less than clear. A seasonal rise in slaughter rates, along with a seasonal decline in slaughter weights hardly seems sufficient to explain a very unseasonal rate of spread … Read More

Managed money, or large fund investors, liquidated live cattle futures positions for the second straight week during the week ended Tuesday as commercial traders extended their net short positions. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday said funds’ net long live cattle futures position was 28,399 contracts, down 4,861, or 14.6%, … Read More