Although the USDA’s, National Agricultural Statistics Service’s commercial slaughter estimates for December aren’t scheduled for publication until later this month, the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service has published Actual Slaughter Under Federal Inspection through the end of the year, which allows for year-to-year comparison. The USDA’s Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook from Friday said in 2023, … Read More

Large commodity index funds, known as managed money, continued selling live cattle futures during the week ended Tuesday as cattle owners continues covering short positions. The information was derived from the weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday published by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.   FUNDS SELL CATTLE   Tuesday, managed money had a collective … Read More

New non-real estate farm lending activity at commercial banks continued to decline in the fourth quarter, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Economists Nate Kauffman and Ty Kreitman said in a Bank publication Thursday. According to the Survey of Terms of Lending to Farmers, the volume of new non-real estate farm loans was about 15% … Read More

Wednesday, the Federal Reserve published its latest Beige Book, saying most of the 12 Federal Reserve districts reported little or no change in economic activity since the previous publication in December. The Federal Reserve publishes the Beige Book eight times a year, reporting economic activity in each district plus a summary.   OVERALL ECONOMIC ACTIVITY … Read More

Cattle can withstand some pretty severe cold weather as long as they are dry, university scientists report, but in extreme cold situations, some extra care is needed. Some things carry a good/bad result, and body weight will be lost on most cattle.  However, the best thing that can be done is to provide the best … Read More

The USDA raised its estimates of US red meat and poultry production for 2023 from last month because of higher beef, pork and broiler production in the fourth quarter, the agency reported in its monthly World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates report Friday.   BEEF PRODUCTION SEEN HIGHER   For 2023, the beef production forecast … Read More

The United Kingdom provides growth opportunities for US consumer-oriented products including specialty foods, wine, sauces, fruits and nuts, said a report from the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. The key problem for the US is that UK consumers are willing to try foods from other countries, but they expect quality products at a competitive price, while … Read More