Cattle and hog feeders find dramatically lower feed costs compared to last year with higher live anumal sales prices. Beef packers continue to struggle with negative margins.
The highly diversified 10,343-acre Zeman Ranch near Bassett in north central Nebraska is listed for sale. The current owners have operated as Promiseland Livestock for over 20 years.
Unlike last year, there is no shortage of beef in the pipeline. Wholesale beef prices, however, continue a runaway spurred by unprecedented domestic and export demand.
Beef may be in high demand but cattle prices struggle to hold steady. Fed cattle slipped $1 to $2 lower last week and auction prices for feeder cattle fell $1 to $5 lower, AMS reporters said.
Large numbers of cows going to slaughter during the last quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of this year confirm the downward trajectory of the cattle cycle has not changed.
The extended rally in lean hog carcass prices continues and farrow-to-finish hog operations are profitable for the 12th consecutive month. Cattle feeders saw prices slip off of recent highs.
Negotiated cash cattle slipped $1 to $2 lower last week, yet wholesale beef prices marched higher. USDA's cattle on feed report found aggressive March placements.
Cattle and hog feeding operations are experiencing the highest market prices since before the pandemic began more than a year ago. Hog margins were positive for the 11th consecutive week.
Beef industry efforts to develop a voluntary animal traceability system gained significant traction today as Tyson Fresh Meats becomes the first beef processor to invest in membership to U.S. CattleTrace.
Cash cattle traded in light to moderate volumes last week, with the strongest prices in the North. Wholesale beef prices continued marching higher as demand continues strong.
Sales of all food and beverage items during February were 11.8% higher than during February 2020, and the meat department was an above-average performer.
Brazilian producers are getting squeezed as growing meat exports to China boosts cattle prices, yet Brazilian packers struggle with higher costs and financially-strapped domestic consumers.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis has effectively hung a “welcome” sign out encouraging radical activist groups to make mischief in his state and torment ranchers. The first salvo is called the PAUSE Act.
Cattle and hog feeding operations are in the midst of their most profitable time since before the pandemic began. Cattle margins nearly doubled last week and hog margins were positive for the 10th consecutive week.
Demand for spring and summer grazing cattle remains high with prices reflecting good buyer competition. Agricultural Marketing Service reporters called last week’s prices for steers and heifers steady to $4 higher.
The reopening of restaurant and foodservice is driving beef demand to pre-pandemic levels and beyond, spiking wholesale beef prices $20 per cwt. higher this week, and more than $34 per cwt. higher over two weeks.
The CFTC alleges Easterday Ranches Inc., and Cody Easterday engaged in fraud for the sale of more than 200,000 non-existent cattle, making false statements to an exchange, and violating exchange-set position limits.
Cattle and hog feeding both saw solid average profits for the week ending April 2, boosted by higher average farmgate prices. Cattle were positive for the second week, while positive hog margins entered a third month.
If the 2019 ratio between wholesale beef prices and cash fed cattle prices existed today, cash cattle prices would be $136 per cwt. That would amount to an additional $252 for a 1,400-pound fed steer.
Stocker and feeder cattle sold higher at auctions last week, but pressure on prices may develop as a result of the the WASDE report which projects smaller corn and soybean acres and higher grains prices.
Feedyards across all regions sold cattle higher last week and are looking to push the market even further this week. Last week sales volumes were called light to moderate with packers chasing a tightening supply.
The Department of Justice said Cody Easterday agreed to repay more than $244 million in restitution and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for a fraudulent scheme dating back to 2016.
Larry McMurtry's epic novel about cowboys, cattle drives and grizzled Texas Rangers bore some similarities to real-life Texas pioneers and cattle drovers Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving.
Cash prices for both cattle and hogs advanced last week leaving feeding margins for both species solidly in the black. Hog margins were positive for the eighth consecutive week and cattle climbed out of the red.
Calves and stocker cattle sold higher at auctions across the country the last full week of March. Feeder cattle futures rallied to new contract highs and settled up $1.15 to $2.325, with the May contract leading gains.
A wily steer that roamed the streets of Johnston, Rhode Island, for seven weeks has been captured. The Providence Journal reports the steer is back with his owner who said the steer is “fine, happy and healthy.”
At least 20 ships carrying livestock were caught up in the Suez Canal blockage, according to marine tracking data. Giant cargo ship Ever Given ran aground March 23 and was dislodged on Monday, March 29.
The last six weeks of winter produced a sideways trade in cash cattle with little. The first week of spring saw changing attitudes and packers willing to take on more volume with prices from $1 to $3 higher.
Profit margins for cattle and hogs continue trending in opposite directions as feedyard closeouts slipped below breakeven and hog margins saw another boost from higher prices.
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and Montana Sen. Jon Tester re-introduced their "50/14" bill that seeks to increase competition and transparency in cattle markets. The announcement drew mixed reaction from cattlemen's groups.
Sustainable Beef LLC announced plans to build a new, 300,000-square-foot beef packing facility in North Platte with capacity to process 400,000 cattle annually.
Grass is greening up and cattlemen are busy seeking stocker and feeder cattle to turn out for the season. Prices last week saw the influence of that stronger demand.
Cash cattle markets carried a firmer tone most of the week but hopes for solid price gains were dashed by two days of declining futures prices. USDA's Cattle on Feed report was consistent with trade estimates.
Most industry analysts expect cow-calf operations will see positive margins in 2021 and over the next two or three years. That optimistic view is based on expectations for smaller cattle supplies going forward.
U.S. beef exports to Japan have exceeded the safeguard trigger negotiated under the USJTA which allows for temporary tariff increases. Demand for U.S. beef has surged as supplies from Australia has declined.
National Beef Packing Company, LLC, announced plans to increase processing capacity and production at its Iowa Premium facility located in Tama, Iowa. Capacity is expected to be increased to 2,500 head per day.
Market hogs sold last week earned an average profit margins nearly four times that of fed steers. That’s mainly due to a rally that has added more than $20 per cwt. to lean hog carcass prices over the past month.
Canada is seeking to change its BSE status from a controlled-risk country to one of negligible risk. The change in status would allow Canadian cattle and beef greater access to foreign markets.
The first hint of green grass was evident throughout much of the Midwest last week, and moisture across the High Plains was welcome with warmer weather on the way. Demand for grass cattle was high.
The calendar still read January the last time cattle prices saw an advance. Cattle feeders believed they were gaining market leverage and demand might soon spike. Instead, cattle finished a sixth week trading steady.
A 1,500-pound steer escaped Feb. 4 while unloading at Rhode Island Beef and Veal, a slaughterhouse in Johnston. The steer is rather wily as he has only been seen a handful of times in the six weeks since his escape.
The Hamilton Ranch in Kansas' Flint Hills has been listed by Hall & Hall. The 5,152-acre ranch is comprised mostly of native prairie grasses and is located in Greenwood County.
The CME Group has begun publishing a Boxed Beef Index, a new pricing tool that tracks daily value further down the supply chain, focusing on the prices paid for Choice and Select cuts of beef.
Australian mining billionaire Gina Rinehart intends to sell her portfolio of seven cattle stations in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, including a herd of 108,000 head of cattle.
Market hogs found twice the profit margin of fed steers last week due to a rally that has added nearly $22 per cwt. to lean hog carcass prices over the past month, while cash cattle prices have been stuck in neutral.
U.S. beef and pork exports began 2021 lower than year-ago, yet the USMEF remains optimistic as the retail meat demand remains strong and the expectation is that foodservice will rebound in more regions.
