Through last week, anyway, shoppers continued to pay up for beef, according to a weekly National Cattlemen’s Beef Association “Wholesale Price Update.” The report is in contrast to a Thomson Reuters article this week saying shoppers in poorer neighborhoods were pulling back from the meat counter. The published charts are prepared using data from the … Read More

US pork exports in February continued to shine, increasing in volume and value, while higher beef export value belied the decline in volume, according to data from the USDA that was compiled by the US Meat Export Federation in Denver.   PORK EXPORTS CONTINUE STRONG   February pork exports increased 31,201 tonnes, or 14.2%, from … Read More

Large commodity index funds, known as managed money, reduced their net long live cattle futures positions in the week ended Tuesday as hedgers cut their net short position. The information was reported by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Friday in its weekly Commitments of Traders report.   MANAGED MONEY CUTS LONG POSITION   Tuesday, managed … Read More

Like many feedlots around the country, the average Kansas feed yard sales to packers, or closeouts, in February, dropped, according to data collected by the Kansas State University Extension service and compiled and published by the Livestock Marketing Information Center in Denver. The data is taken from select, representative feedlots around the state and them … Read More

The sudden narrowing of the difference between wholesale choice and select beef prices last week caught many traders and analysts off guard.  But what seems more startling is that the weekly average difference, or spread, last week dropped to less than the 2018-2022 average. USDA data compiled and published by the Livestock Marketing Information Center … Read More

US farmers’ outlook improved in March as the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer index increased to 114, three points higher than in February, said James Mintert, Purdue agricultural economist, in a release Tuesday. The March survey was conducted from March 11-15,.   FUTURE EXPECTATIONS UP   While the Index of Current Conditions fell by … Read More

Managed money, a moniker for large commodity index funds, reduced their net long live cattle position as of last Tuesday, March 26, while hedgers cut their net short positions. That information came from Friday’s weekly Commitments of Traders report from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.   FUNDS REDUCE LONG CATTLE POSITION   As of Tuesday, … Read More