Summer heat appears to be taking a bite out of retail beef sales as outdoor temperatures become too uncomfortable to stand over a grill. Futures traders are firmly in the camp of those who are cautious about the bullishness of beef market possibilities into August, taking the nearby Aug contract Tuesday to three-month lows after … Read More

Cattle feeding margins dropped last week as the calculated average cost of the feeder cattle that went into the fat cattle rose, according to the Sterling Profit Tracker. The calculations, published by AgWeb, show feed yard closeouts had a $108.70-per-head loss last week, a significant decline from $11.71 the previous week.  A month ago, feedlots … Read More

Federally inspected beef production rose last week but remains below the previous five-year average as tight fed cattle supplies keep slaughter in check. Beef production last week rose above the same week a year earlier, but this is because of where the Independence Day holiday was observed. This continued tight beef production level is keeping … Read More

Large investment funds collectively called “managed money” have entered a sizeable net long corn position, which some think is so large that fund managers will have to defend their positions in coming days, preventing a seasonal market downturn. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission revealed in its Friday report that for the week ended Tuesday, fund … Read More

Most traders are well aware of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s weekly Drought Monitor, but there is a lesser-known NOAA monitor map showing calculated soil moisture, and its seasonal change map shows why traders are so concerned about US crops. The picture is one of way more than normal soil moisture from central Texas … Read More

Live cattle markets may be in for a repeat of last week’s market and claw its way higher. There is talk of cattle changing hands in Nebraska’s dressed market at $242 per cwt, up about $2 from last week.  There also is talk of light sales in Kansas and Texas at $150, about steady with … Read More

Live cattle futures are declining in part because of investor fears of a seasonal summer decline in beef demand, but the seasonality isn’t great, and last year’s market defied the odds when it went up. The USDA’s boxed beef cutout value fell again Tuesday for the fifth straight day, with the choice cutout falling $2.98 … Read More