Paul Dykstra

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In the last two weeks the average weekly fed cattle harvest total has been 480,000 head, a total reduction of 30,000 head (-3%) over the two-week span compared to a year ago.
Live Cattle and Feeder Cattle futures prices have been forced higher as Live Cattle contracts had been lagging negotiated values until recent days.
Now in mid-January, the cattle markets are showing exceptional optimism. Packers were actively bidding to capture spot market needs.
Last week’s federally inspected cattle harvest was 5,000 head smaller than the prior week and 38,000 head smaller than the same week a year ago. A large contribution gap between classes of cattle in the harvested total remains in place.
Calf and feeder cattle prices have been much more active in the past three weeks with two market-moving events, including precipitation in the central states and the temporary closure of the southern border due to screwworms.
Last week’s harvest averaged 100,000 with except of Veteran’s Day holiday. Feeder cattle demand elevated after widespread precipitation throughout much of the winter wheat grazing region.
Cattle harvest was down last week, but carcass weights remain record breaking. Q4 tends to be the period most prone to follow historical seasonal patterns for carcass cutout prices.
Market update for week of Oct. 23 and a look at how carcass weigh and ribeye sizes correlates..
Weekly fed cattle harvest of the latest four weeks have featured head counts larger than a year ago with an average of 496,750 per week, a 2.1% increase for the period compared to 2023.
Harvested fed steer and heifer head counts outpaced the same weeks in 2023, with 501K and 492K in the past two weeks.