The biggest question for the second half of the year in the cattle industry is the extent to which herd rebuilding begins with increased heifer retention and continued reductions in cow slaughter, said Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Livestock Marketing Specialist, in a market letter. Producer expectations and remaining drought conditions will affect the timing … Read More

In the week ended Tuesday, large commodity investment firms, known as managed money, extended their move toward a lower net long live cattle futures position while cattle owners took on a smaller net short position. The data came from Friday’s weekly Commitments of Traders report from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.   MANAGED MONEY TRIMS … Read More

The US inventory of all hogs and pigs on June 1 was 72.4 million head, up slightly from June 1, 2022, but down about 1% from March 1, 2023, the USDA’a National Agricultural Statistics Service said in its Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report Thursday. The breeding herd was down slightly from last year but up … Read More

The USDA’s weekly wholesale choice boxed beef price may be beginning a seasonal downturn unless supplies get short enough to support a continuation of 2023’s higher price levels. The weekly USDA choice beef cutout value, as compiled and plotted by the Livestock Marketing Information Center took a hit last week, but the weekly dip came … Read More

In the context of trading finished cattle to the packing house, a negative grid refers to a pricing mechanism used by packers to determine the value of the cattle based on certain predetermined criteria, said Narciso Perez, director of cattle operations for Zia Agricultural Consultants, in an email. It involves applying discounts to a negotiated … Read More

During the week ended Tuesday June 20, managed money, a proxy for large commodity index firms, reduced their collective net long position in live cattle futures while cattle owners trimmed their total net short position. The data came from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday.   FUNDS SELL CATTLE   … Read More

The USDA reported that total red meat supplies in US freezers on May 31 were down about 7% from the previous month and down about 11% from last year. Total pounds of beef in freezers were down about 6% from the previous month and down about 20% from last year. Frozen pork supplies were down … Read More