National economic activity continued to expand from early April to mid-May, according to the Federal Reserve Bank’s Beige Book.  However, conditions varied across industries and districts. The Beige Book is a Federal Reserve System publication about current economic conditions across the 12 Federal Reserve districts.  It characterizes regional economic conditions and prospects based on a … Read More

There are numerous unique factors that make the beef cattle industry complex, said Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, in a letter called Cow-Calf Corner.   THE TRADE-OFF   Two biological facts are critical: cows have one calf at a time in a rather slow biological process; and two, heifers can be … Read More

5-28-24 – Total red meat supplies in freezers on April 30 were up about 4% from the previous month but down about 9% from last year, the USDA said Friday in its monthly Cold Storage report. Total frozen poultry supplies were up about 3% from the previous month but down about 5% from a year … Read More

Choice beef cutout prices jumped last week in what could be the beginning of an annual price spike, but something isn’t normal. The Livestock Marketing Information Center graphed the weekly USDA-reported boxed beef prices.  The 2018-2022 weekly average choice cutout price graph shows a definite price peak last week at $299.07 per cwt.  This compares … Read More

The pork cutout value slipped below $100 per cwt for the last few weeks but remains about $17 to $19 per cwt more than where prices were last year, said the Livestock Marketing Information Center in its Livestock Monitor.   MID-APRIL PEAK   In mid-April, the pork cutout value peaked at just over $100 for … Read More

While consumer debt is high, consumers still have room to run, explaining some of the confusion about why buying of some things, like choice beef, continues, according to an economic bulletin from the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank. Although the share of credit card debt transitioning into delinquency has risen, it remains below levels seen … Read More

Canada’s May 1 cattle on feed numbers continued a seasonal decline but fell further below the 2018-2022 average as April placements dipped to a point between year-ago and the previous five-year average. For comparison, the May US Cattle on Feed report showed the April 1 population in feedlots of 1,000 head or more one-time capacity … Read More