The relatively slow pace of slaughter in the first four months of 2024 contributed to the number of cattle on feed longer than 150 days on May 1 being the highest since May 2012, said the USDA’s monthly livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook for June. The 2024 beef production forecast was virtually unchanged as heavier … Read More

Gene editing in beef cattle holds the potential to produce cattle that are immune to certain diseases, but its use and widespread acceptance may be challenged in the beef marketplace. In the opinion of one market analyst, the pushback from consumer watchdogs over Genetically Modified Organisms in grains and legumes came because they first were … Read More

Large commodity index investment firms, known as managed money, reduced their collective net long live cattle futures position during the week ended Tuesday while hedgers trimmed their total net short position.     The data came from Friday’s weekly Commitments of Traders report from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.   MANAGED MONEY SELLS CATTLE       … Read More

The USDA’s 2024 US red meat and poultry production forecast was raised from last month, according to the monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report. Beef production was seen as nearly steady with the May estimate, while pork and poultry production estimates were raised. For 2025, the red meat and poultry production forecast was … Read More

Growth in farm real estate values slowed in the first quarter of the year alongside slightly tighter credit conditions and steady interest rates, said Francisco Scott and Ty Kreitman, economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, in a release. However, farm household spending remained robust, they said. The statements were the result of … Read More

As the summer grilling season gets underway following the Memorial Day holiday, beef and cattle traders expect the annual peak in the weekly USDA beef cutout value to come soon. It’s already historically late.   HISTORICAL MOVES   Data shows the weekly choice beef cutout price usually drops about 10% from its annual high in … Read More

April US pork exports reached the highest volume and value since May 2021, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the US Meat Export Federation. April also was a robust month for US beef exports, which were the largest in 10 months and valued at just under $900 million, the USMEF said in … Read More