Large commodity index funds, better known as managed money, decreased their collective net long live cattle futures position in the week ended Tuesday as 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 CUTS LONG POSITION   … Read More

The latest USDA Cattle on Feed report pegged May 1 feedlot inventories at 11.554 million head, down 0.9% from a year earlier, said Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University agricultural economist, in a letter called In The Cattle Markets. That was the first year-over-year-decrease in feedlot inventories in eight months. Peel said.  Feedlots typically see a … Read More

US farmers’ outlook improved in May as the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer index rose to 108, marking a nine-point increase from April, said Purdue Agricultural Economist James Mintert, in a release. This month’s Ag Economy Barometer survey was conducted from May 13-17. Both of the barometer’s subindices saw increases, with the Index of … Read More

US inflation has been higher than the Federal Reserve’s 2% target for more than three years, increasing the risk that longer-term inflation expectations could take over, according to an economic bulletin from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. But the situation could change, sending a message that longer-term inflation will remain somewhere north of … Read More

So, how does one tell when cow/calf operators are beginning to rebuild their herd after five years of decline? A check with some market analysts suggests it’s far easier to see that rebuilding is progressing than to pick a starting point as it’s happening. Many times, there is pent-up desire to rebuild the herd, but … Read More

For the fifth straight week, managed money, a moniker for large commodity investment funds, increased their collective net long position in live cattle futures, according to data released by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Friday. That same report, the weekly Commitments of Traders Report, with chronicles the activity of various trading groups on the previous … Read More

It looks like herd rebuilding may have begun.  It could be cut off by resurging drought, but for now, rebuilding the US cattle herd looks promising. Total weekly cow slaughter is down, although weekly heifer kills remain elevated from the 2018-2022 average. As of Jan. 1, the USDA reported the US had 87.2 million cattle … Read More