Demand for ground beef is rising as evidenced by flat wholesale prices for 90% beef trimmings and increasing cow slaughter and prices. USDA data show the average weekly price for fresh 90% lean beef trimmings last week at $296.01 per cwt, virtually identical to the $296.05 from the previous week. However, total cow slaughter rose … Read More

As the first Polar Vortex of the season slides into the central US dumping more than a foot of snow on parts of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, the Dakotas and Minnesota, cattle market concerns will go to how well the cattle fared with this icy blast. Only the Southwest, Hawaii, Alaska and South Florida will escape … Read More

Managed money held its net live cattle long position near steady during the week ended Tuesday, even though the nearby futures contract left a gap lower on daily charts because of the transition from the Oct to the Dec contract. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission reported Friday that for the latest reporting week, managed money … Read More

Right on schedule, federally inspected cattle slaughter this week is headed for an increase. Through Thursday, the USDA reported an estimated 445,000 head had met their destiny this week, up 6,000, or 1.37%, from last week.  However, it remains 6.71% below last year’s 477,000. It’s likely to remain below last year, too.  Previous placements of … Read More

Prices for slaughter-ready cattle dipped last week, but long-term studies of the relationship between the cattle cycle and fed cattle prices indicates the peak could come in the next six months. Purdue University Extension Economist Chris Hurt says studies of cattle cycles and prices suggest that prices tend to hit their peak in the early … Read More

The US Dollar Index has been rising since July 1, with the exception of a downturn late September/early October, yet the effect on meat exports appears to be nil.  The greenback took another bounce after Tuesday’s elections. Normally, if the currency of a selling country rises, it makes its exports more expensive to foreign buyers.  … Read More

Northern Plains calves last week sold mostly $5 to $8 per cwt lower while calves in the Southern Plains and the Southeast were unevenly steady to $5 higher amid strong demand for wheat grazers. Yearling supplies are said to be tight across the country with prices steady to firm. Sources say yearlings hold good demand … Read More