Cattle and beef producers and traders were expected to re-shape their market strategies over the next two days as the USDA releases its monthly Cold Storage and Cattle-on-Feed reports. The Cold Storage report is scheduled for release at 3:00 pm, ET today, and the Cattle-on-Feed report is set for release at 3:00 pm, Friday. The … Read More

US ranges and pasture conditions are declining at a faster-than-normal pace as winter wheat growth falls behind, leading some to worry about fall and winter cattle care. The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service will drop pasture and range condition reporting in two weeks, not to pick it up again until May.  Cattle producers will become … Read More

Last week’s wild $8- to $10-per-cwt jump in cash cattle prices certainly helped the plight of cattle feeders stuck in a quagmire of money-losing cattle, but it was far from enough to get them back into profitability. According to Sterling Marketing’s weekly Beef Profit Tracker, which uses the USDA’s five-market average price for slaughter-ready cattle … Read More

Managed money, or large speculators, liquidated almost all of their net long live cattle futures position during the week ended Tuesday Oct. 15 even though futures were rising sharply. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission said in its weekly Commitments of Traders report that managed money Tuesday had only 1,209 net long live cattle futures positions, … Read More

It looks like the major cattle-feeding regions of the US will see warmer-than-normal temperatures and more precipitation than normal. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s US Winter Outlook also said drought-stricken California and the Sierra Madres have an even greater chance of warm temperatures and an equal chance of being wetter than normal. This year’s … Read More

There are signs the glut of plus-sized fed cattle is getting cleared up, but the next few weeks will show whether these signals are temporary or more permanent. Cash fed cattle prices made a significant turnaround last week, and those who chart cash prices might have noticed the turnaround left a one-week island reversal higher … Read More

Beef demand, it seems, really is rising, as evidenced by USDA data on many of the various cuts.  What’s more, demand for choice product is outstripping demand for select grade in a seasonal push for holiday fare. However, that demand for the fattier and generally better-tasting choice beef appears to have started within the last … Read More