Live cattle futures and cash markets established new highs in April, and markets remain strong long term, but a continued rally through the year may not be in the cards, said Colorado State University Agricultural Economist Stephen Koontz, in a Livestock Marketing Information Center letter called In The Cattle Markets. The April 2023 live cattle … Read More

Large commodity investment firms, called managed money in the trade, advanced their collective net long live cattle futures position in the week ended Tuesday as hedgers lengthened their total net short position. That conclusion came from the weekly Commitments of Traders report by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Friday.   FUNDS KEEP BUYING CATTLE   … Read More

While a few areas of the contiguous 48 states received large rain totals last week, most of the country got only light rainfall, according to Thursday’s weekly drought monitor from the National Weather Service. Plus, Kansas, Nebraska, portions of central and western Texas and Oklahoma remained entrenched in extreme drought conditions, putting large swaths of … Read More

Growth in farm lending activity at commercial banks was limited in the first quarter of 2023 as interest rates climbed, said Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank Economists Nate Kauffman and Ty Kreitman, in a Bank release. However, farm lending growth was limited as interest rates climbed, Kauffman and Kreitman said.   THE PROBLEM WITH INTEREST … Read More

Rising fed cattle prices are leading the cattle complex higher, said Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist Derrell Peel, in a letter to Extension Agents called Cow-Calf Corner. The daily 5-Market negotiated cash fed cattle price reported on Thursday by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, was $172.33 per cwt, a record high daily fed … Read More

April 1 Canadian cattle on feed were down counter-seasonally from March, extending a 2023 decline. The data came from CanFax, a private market advisory group, which surveys feedlots monthly in Alberta and Saskatchewan.  It shares all of its survey results with its members but shares the total on feed and monthly placement numbers with the … Read More

Large commodity investment firms, known as managed money, increased their collective net long live cattle futures position during the week ended Tuesday, while hedgers boosted their total net short position. The raw data came from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday.   FUNDS BUY LIVE CATTLE   As of Tuesday, … Read More