Managed money reversed a nine-week liquidation pattern and increased its net long position as futures prices rose during the week ended Tuesday. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission said for the week ended March 10, managed money, a proxy for large investors, had a net long position of 51,973 contracts, up 1,475, or 2.92%, from 50,498. … Read More

Cash cattle have yet to trade actively this week, but the few sales that have been reported are steady to higher when compared with last week. The USDA mandatory five-area weekly accumulated weighted average cattle price report lists 446 head of steers weighing 1,509 pounds selling on a live basis at $161.16 per cwt and … Read More

Fed cattle prices last week gained about $3.00 per cwt last week, but US feedlot losses still rose about $3.00 a head as the cost of replacement feeder cattle rose about $5.00 a head, according to the weekly Sterling Beef Profit Tracker. Beef packers, however, emerged from red ink to notch profits on every animal … Read More

The USDA Tuesday lowered its forecast of total 2015 red meat and poultry production as lower beef production more than offset expected increases in pork and chicken production. In its monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, the USDA’s World Agricultural Outlook Board said total projected red meat and poultry production for the year at … Read More

As the price of wheat in Dodge City, Kan., continues to decline and the price of winter wheat in the Southern Plains drops, the two are nearing parity, many Southern Plains feedlot managers may be considering replacing corn for all or part of the energy portion of their cattle rations with wheat. Because of wheat’s … Read More

Managed money traders further liquidated live cattle futures positions during the week ended Tuesday, even though futures prices were rising, said the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The CFTC’s weekly Commitments of Traders Report showed managed money with a net long position of 50,496 live cattle contracts, down 1,729, or 3.31%, from 52,225 the previous week … Read More

The USDA’s Economic Research Service this week predicted supermarket prices likely will continue to rise but at a slower-than-average inflation rate this year, rising 2.0% to 3.0%. The ERS makes changes in its food price forecasts if conditions change.  This latest report made changes to its outlook for beef, pork, poultry and dairy prices. The … Read More