Livestock futures were supported Tuesday by thoughts of reduced slaughter this week after news the blizzard raging through the Central Plains and western Corn Belt closed or curtailed operations at several beef and pork plants.  But if traders think slower slaughter rates are unusual, they are mistaken. This week’s blizzard knocked out some Cargill and … Read More

The clock has begun to tick on passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement with 12 Pacific Rim nations, of which Japan is the most important for US beef trade. The Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement took effect Jan. 1.  It provides tariff reductions for Australian beef that are phased in over a 15-year period.  A … Read More

Cattle market analyst reports are coming in, and most expect the USDA’s semi-annual Cattle Inventory report Friday to be construed as bearish for cattle futures, especially for deferred delivery months. The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service made some adjustments inventory totals, but the report exceeded the average trade estimates plus the revisions in a couple … Read More

The 2015 wildly volatile cattle market appears to be over, Cattle-Fax analysts said Thursday, but feedlots likely still will come out losers in 2016. Speaking at the annual National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s annual convention in San Diego, Calif., the analysts said they expected feedlots to lose about $200 a head this year as other segments … Read More

After the weekend blizzard that hit the Appalachians and the Eastern Seaboard with record snow accumulation, MarketResearch.com offered some insight into how such extreme weather can affect the economy. In its report, MarketResearch.com listed closures and delays, increased retail sales ahead of the storm, big-ticket purchases to prepare and reduce risk and reliance on the … Read More

Cash cattle prices last week were steady to $1 per cwt higher than the previous week, yet weekly wholesale beef prices were down, a mixture that makes little sense unless weather is added to the price formulas. Live cattle futures Tuesday settled moderately higher amid weather concerns as a new storm is forecast for the … Read More

While choice boxed beef cutout values from the USDA are below a year ago, they remain well above the 2010-2014 average, but whether prices follow the seasonal trend or last year remains to be seen, and the results could be significant for the cattle feeder. If seasonal tendencies hold, the value will test the first-week-in-January … Read More