Much of Oklahoma has better growing conditions for early planted winter wheat than in recent years, said Oklahoma State University Livestock Marketing Specialist, Derrell Peel, in a letter called Cow-Calf Corner.   FORAGE CONDITIONS ONLY PART OF THE ISSUE   Wheat forage production conditions are only some of the challenges for winter wheat stocker producers, … Read More

Agricultural credit conditions in the Federal Reserve’s Tenth District moderated in the second quarter, and farmland values continued to increase, according to Federal Reserve Economists Cortney Cowley and Ty Kreitman in Bank release. The Federal Reserve’s Tenth District includes Wyoming, Colorado, northern New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and western Missouri. Following multiple years of improvement, … Read More

Is retaining ownership of feeder calves right for your operation, asked Mark Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension beef cattle breeding specialist, in a letter called Cow-Calf Corner.   FIRST, SOME NUMBERS   The Aug. 1, Oklahoma Market Report indicated 525-pound steer calves were worth $1,475 a head, 861-pound yearling steers $2,040 a head, so with … Read More

For the fourth straight week, managed money cut their collective net long live cattle futures position in the week ended last Tuesday as cattle owners added to their total net short position. That was from the weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.  The report tracks relative positions of trader … Read More

The USDA’s latest forecast for 2023 red meat and poultry production was reduced from last month on lowered beef, pork and broiler forecasts. The latest estimates came Friday from the USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist in the form of the monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report. For 2024, the red meat and … Read More

US pork exports concluded an excellent first half with another strong performance in June, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the US Meat Export Federation. While well below the record pace established in 2022, June beef exports topped $900 million in value, pushing first-half export value to nearly $5 billion, the USMEF … Read More

The mid-year cattle inventory report showed cattle numbers continue to decline, said Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University livestock marketing specialist, in a letter called Cow-Calf Corner. Despite sharply higher cattle prices, there is no data to suggest heifer retention or enough decrease in beef cow slaughter to initiate herd expansion, Peel said.  The process thus … Read More