Live cattle futures settled sharply higher Monday as the market reacted strongly to Friday’s higher-than-expected cash market, thinking maybe the market had turned higher seasonally. Late profit taking, however, revealed some lingering doubts, and the lack of significant carry in futures contracts into next year shows these doubts are deep seated. Cash prices for fed … Read More

Managed funds continued to liquidate long live cattle positions during the week ended Tuesday amid ideas of waning beef demand. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission said in its weekly report published Friday that Managed Money, or large speculative firms cut their net long cattle position by 11,242 contracts, or 28.8%, to 27,843 from 39,085 the … Read More

Currently lofty cow/calf producer profits are expected to experience some weight this year as rising production and competition produce more meat, which will back up product through the production chain. And since cow/calf producers are first in the production line, they have little control over the price they are paid for their calves.  Thus, with … Read More

In looking for an advance hint that wholesale beef prices are set to bounce and lead the beef and cattle industry into a seasonal rally, little can be gleaned by checking out the action of individual cuts.  Some may be turning up, but there is little consistency. All cuts examined were above the average of … Read More

The summer slide in beef cattle prices may be over unless more cattle come to market than many traders expect as wholesale beef prices turn upward this week and light the fuse on futures markets. Fed cattle traded $3 per cwt lower on a live basis last week in the Plains with the five-area USDA … Read More

Overall US pasture and range conditions are well above a year ago, but ratings declined slightly last week, beginning a seasonal slide in forage quality and quantity. Thanks to a strong El Nino, grasslands east of the Rocky Mountains are much improved from last year, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.  Monday, the … Read More

Large managed investment funds continued to sell long live cattle positions in the week ended Tuesday, taking them to their lowest net long position in more than a year. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission reported in its weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday for the week ended Tuesday that commercial traders, those who can make … Read More