The decline in beef production this year means ground beef supplies will be smaller and prices higher going forward, said Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, in a letter called Cow-Calf Corner. Ground beef is an important component of total US beef consumption and is the inexpensive alternative that consumers increasingly turn to when … Read More

During the week ended Tuesday, large commodity index funds, known as managed money, sold live cattle futures aggressively. At the same time, commercial traders, those who own, or will own, the cattle traded in the futures market, covered many of their short positions. The data came from the weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday from … Read More

Farm lending activity at commercial banks slowed further in the third quarter alongside a drop in operating loan volumes, said Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank Economists Nate Kauffman and Ty Kreitman, in a Bank release of the results of a survey of agricultural banks. The number of new non-real estate farm loans was flat compared … Read More

Total red meat supplies in freezers on Sep. 30 were up about 2% from the previous month but down about 17% from last year, the USDA said in its monthly Cold Storage report Wednesday. Total pounds of beef in freezers were up about 6% from the previous month but down about 20% from last year, … Read More

The Federal Reserve Bank’s Beige Book, a monthly treatise on US economic activity and health said in its October report that most Federal Reserve districts indicated little to no change in economic activity since the September report. Consumer spending was mixed, especially among general retailers and auto dealers, because of differences in prices and product … Read More

USDA data showed that 2023 US beef exports trail last year’s record pace by about 12% in volume at 881,343 tonnes and about 19% in value at $6.69 billion. US Meat Export Federation President Dan Halstrom said in a release following the latest release of monthly export data that US beef exports faced “significant headwinds, … Read More

For the third straight week, large commodity index funds, known as managed money, reduced their collective net long live cattle futures position during the week ended Tuesday. At the same time, cash cattle dealers, known as commercial traders, trimmed their total net short live cattle position. The data came from Friday’s weekly Commitments of Traders … Read More