Beef packer discounts for overly fat cattle, labeled Yield Grade 4 or 5, are increasing, making it less palatable for cattle owners to feed them to gargantuan proportions. Beef packers report the premiums and discounts for their grid-pricing programs to the USDA’s Animal Marketing Service where they are compiled into a weekly summary of the … Read More

The USDA has lowered its forecast for 2015 and 2016 red meat and poultry production as the pace of third-quarter slaughter slows, more than compensating for heavier beef carcass weights. The USDA revealed its predictions Friday in its World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report. Broiler production estimates for this year and next year also … Read More

Led by pork production increases, total weekly US red meat production is above last year but below the average of the previous five years, according to USDA data. Total red meat production last week amounted to 921.8 million pounds, compared with 900.8 million in the same week a year ago and the 2009-2013 average of … Read More

The beef industry needs to identify key areas of consumer demand and address those issues as they expand the herd from an extended decline, said Kansas State University Agricultural Economists Glynn Tonsor and Ted Schroeder in an economic study. Historically tight cattle and beef supplies, along with four years of expanding demand growth have brought … Read More

As the value of the US dollar against other currencies rises, the effects of the move affect international trade of all commodities.  Short beef supplies as the US rebuilds its cattle herds could add impetus to the desire to import more cattle or beef. Last year and this year so far, feeder cattle imports from … Read More

Managed money and commercial traders cut their respective long or short cattle futures positions to the lowest point in more than a year during the week ended last Tuesday as the price outlook dimmed. Managed money, or large speculators, cut their net long positions 2,708 contracts, or 15.1%, to 15,230 from 17,938 the previous week, … Read More

As cash fed cattle prices decline, cattle feeding losses are plummeting, a major reason feeder cattle prices are working lower. Cash fed cattle prices have declined for the last four weeks, expanding losses to cattle feeders.  The Sterling Profit Tracker reported that cattle unhedged feeding losses tumbled another $2 per cwt last week to $221.04 … Read More