Latest News From Markets

Markets: Winter Rally Sputters, Cash Cattle Lower
Markets: Winter Rally Sputters, Cash Cattle Lower

Cash cattle traded lower in all regions for the first time in more than a month, but futures prices rose Friday to the highest levels in nearly four months.

Mackey: A Good Win for Cattle Feeders
Mackey: A Good Win for Cattle Feeders

Calling the packers’ bluff, cattle feeders held out for higher bids and were rewarded with the highest prices in over three months.

BT_Feedlot_Steers
Markets: Fed Cattle Rally as Cowboys Hold ‘Em

Fed cattle broke through $180 barrier this week, establishing the highest prices since the week ending November 3 and cattle feeders continue to gaining leverage.

Markets: Cash Prices Bounce Higher as Bulls Return to Futures
Markets: Cash Prices Bounce Higher as Bulls Return to Futures

Bullish traders showed their hand at the CME pushing April LC to a three-month high and helping spur a solid rally in cash cattle markets. Inventory report confirms tight supplies will remain for the near future.

Mackey: Cattle Higher as Packers Show Their Inventory Hand
Mackey: Cattle Higher as Packers Show Their Inventory Hand

Packers came into the market last week ready to add inventory after winter storms disrupted harvest schedules the previous two weeks.

Mackey: Feeders, Packers Look to Better Days Ahead
Mackey: Feeders, Packers Look to Better Days Ahead

Negotiated cash trade finished the week in a standoff with few sales and little price movement. Feeders and packers both look to benefit from improving winter weather and pen conditions this week.

Markets: Cash Cattle Standoff, COF Report Neutral
Markets: Cash Cattle Standoff, COF Report Neutral

A mid-January deep-freeze failed to deliver any bounce to cattle markets as packers appear flush with formula and contracted inventories. Friday's Cattle on Feed report fell within expectations.

Markets: Cattle Steady to Softer in Weather Trade
Markets: Cattle Steady to Softer in Weather Trade

Brutal winter weather disrupted cattle markets and significantly curtailed cattle harvest in western Kansas. Cash cattle trades were steady to lower while wholesale beef prices posted a significant rally.

Cull Cow and Beef Prices Bounce Higher
Cull Cow and Beef Prices Bounce Higher

After reaching a peak price in August, cull cow and bull prices moved higher to end the year on a positive note.

Mackey: Weather Provides Motivation to Settle for Steady
Mackey: Weather Provides Motivation to Settle for Steady

A year ago feeders were concerned about weathered cattle and tough pen conditions and how at times it would be the motivation for sellers to take the market.  It’s eerie how not much has changed in that sense.

CAB Insider: Carcass Quality Set to Climb Seasonally
CAB Insider: Carcass Quality Set to Climb Seasonally

The beef market is set to rapidly adjust to changes in consumer buying habits. This removes demand pressure from ribs and tenderloins, realigning the contribution of those cuts to a smaller percentage of carcass value.

Mackey: A Good Week for Competition
Mackey: A Good Week for Competition

The final week of 2023 found at least three bidders in the market in multiple regions.

AgDay TV Markets Now: Brad Kooima Discusses if the Cattle Market Can Make New Highs in 2024
AgDay TV Markets Now: Brad Kooima Discusses if the Cattle Market Can Make New Highs in 2024

AgDay TV Markets Now: Brad Kooima, Kooima Kooima Varilek, recaps a record year in the cattle market and discusses if new highs are possible in 2024.

Markets: Cash Cattle Finish 2023 Moving Higher
Markets: Cash Cattle Finish 2023 Moving Higher

Feedyards saw higher cash cattle bids for the second consecutive week as the market closed the year on an upswing. Futures prices finished the week lower.

Grain and Livestock Futures Mostly Lower for 2023.  So, What’s Ahead in 2024?
Grain and Livestock Futures Mostly Lower for 2023. So, What’s Ahead in 2024?

2023 was a lower year for all the grains as the market went through a commodity reset similar to 2013. What's ahead for 2024?

Mackey: Ignoring Early-week Noise
Mackey: Ignoring Early-week Noise

Volatility contributed to a strong basis early last week and cash traders benefitted by waiting until late week to sell cattle.

Markets: Feeder Cattle and Calves Under Pressure, Fed Cattle Weaker
Markets: Feeder Cattle and Calves Under Pressure, Fed Cattle Weaker

Cattle prices were weaker on the week with volatility in the futures markets and the season's first cold spell on the way. Wholesale beef prices traded higher seasonally.

Mackey: Has the Fall Fed Cattle Rally Begun?
Mackey: Has the Fall Fed Cattle Rally Begun?

Fed cattle trade posted gains last week, but the rally was not incentivized by wholesale beef prices, but rather pushed by limited supplies of ready cattle.

Cash Cattle Steady as Futures Spike Higher
Cash Cattle Steady as Futures Spike Higher

Cattle futures rallied to all-time highs on Friday after Thursday's sell off, supporting negotiated cash prices that reported mostly steady for the week.

Mackey: Late-week Win
Mackey: Late-week Win

As the futures continued to grab new ground throughout the week, cattle feeders continued to find confidence in higher asking prices.

2017 Outlook
5 Crop and Livestock Charts to Ponder from USDA’s 10-Year Outlook

What will the next decade hold for your farm? What factors should you use to weigh investments or crop planning?  Here are five trends and data sets to ponder from USDA's latest Agricultural Baseline Projections.

Winter Storm and Arctic Blast Hit Wheat and Cattle Country: How Are Markets Responding?
Winter Storm and Arctic Blast Hit Wheat and Cattle Country: How Are Markets Responding?

Winter weather is packing a punch across much of farm country this week.  However, its being somewhat ignored by the trade. 

Cattle and Hog Futures Decline on Worries About Beef, Pork Exports
Cattle and Hog Futures Decline on Worries About Beef, Pork Exports

Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell more than 1% on Wednesday on technical selling, softer cash cattle markets this week and worries about export demand for U.S. beef, traders said.

Why China’s Taste for Beef Is Growing
Why China’s Taste for Beef Is Growing

Market dynamics and consumer shifts support U.S. beef.

Ethanol Outlooks Stable, Westhoff Says Export Demand Optimistic
Ethanol Outlooks Stable, Westhoff Says Export Demand Optimistic

Dr. Pat Westhoff joins AgriTalk’s Chip Flory to share his spin on the latest trends in crop markets, livestock outlooks and projections for net farm income.

Auction Prices Higher Last Week
Auction Prices Higher Last Week

Order buyers were willing to take on early-weaned calves in drought-stricken areas of the Northern Plains, according to AMS reporters.

Divestment plan leads to ownership changes for 11 feedlots
Fed Cattle Highest In 16 Months

Cash fed cattle prices posted new highs for the year this week with expectations for more next week. Wholesale beef trade this week confirmed boxed prices are headed lower after a historic run.

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Feeder Cattle Prices Suffer Grain Rally

Stocker and feeder cattle saw significant price reductions last week as grain markets continued marching higher in rapid fashion.

Cash Prices Slip, COF Placements Aggressive
Cash Prices Slip, COF Placements Aggressive

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.

Cash Cattle Steady to $1 Higher
Cash Cattle Steady to $1 Higher

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.

Spring Stocker and Feeder Cattle Rally Continues
Spring Stocker and Feeder Cattle Rally Continues

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.

Cattle Markets Surge Higher In Spring Rally
Cattle Markets Surge Higher In Spring Rally

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.

Stocker And Feeder Cattle Higher
Stocker And Feeder Cattle Higher

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.

Cash Fed Cattle Rally, Look For More
Cash Fed Cattle Rally, Look For More

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.

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Demand For Grazing Cattle Fierce

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.

Profit Tracker: Growing Packer/Feeder Margin Spread
Profit Tracker: Growing Packer/Feeder Margin Spread

Cash fed cattle prices ended last week $10 per cwt. lower than last year while the beef cutout closed $16 higher than the same week a year ago. The result? Packer margins $314 per head more than last year.

Could Corn or Cattle be the Next GameStop?
Could Corn or Cattle be the Next GameStop?

With the run-up in stock prices for GameStop, AMC and others, could corn, soybeans or cattle be next? Listen to what Tommy Grisafi of Advance Trading had to say about it on U.S. Farm Report this weekend.

Derrell Peel: Cattle Inventories Drift Slightly Lower

The inventory of all cattle and calves in the U.S. was 93.6 million head on January 1, 2021, down fractionally from 93.8 million head one year ago.

Charolais cross steers, Nebraska
Cash Fed Cattle $3 Higher, Trade Light

Cash cattle traded mostly $3 higher on the week, despite light volumes and varied interest from packers. April live cattle futures posted a key bearish reversal, but closed lower for the week.

Profit Tracker: Steady In The Red
Profit Tracker: Steady In The Red

Cattle and hog feeding margins were little changed last week, with both recording modest losses. Beef packers saw improved margins on significant gains in wholesale beef prices.

Why Drought Could Be a Catalyst for Crop, Cattle Prices in 2021
Why Drought Could Be a Catalyst for Crop, Cattle Prices in 2021

U.S. farmers are facing a changing scenario this year. From wet conditions impeding planting in 2020, to now drought concerns creeping in, one analyst thinks weather could be a major market mover in 2021.

Cash cattle improve
Hulett: Cash Cattle Gaining Ground

On-feed numbers indicate that packers could be running low on committed cattle, which should force some packers back into the cash market in the coming weeks.

Nebraska Feedlot @TLauritsen
Fed Cattle Steady As Futures Hit 11-Month High

Cattle feeders were left on the sidelines as every other cattle/beef market segment saw a price rally. Futures markets set new highs, but cash cattle have not reached $112 for seven months.

CAB Insider: Carcass Value Shifts, a Sign of the Times
CAB Insider: Carcass Value Shifts, a Sign of the Times

Jan. fed cattle prices are normally choppy and we’re seeing that pattern in 2021. A primary difference, compared to 2020, is that last week’s average price is $14/cwt. lower, the same discount as the 5-year average.

Will China Meat Consumption Rebound in 2021?

Driven by higher estimates for pork, the China total meat import forecasts were revised up for both 2020 and 2021, according to the USDA Livestock and Poultry World Markets and Trade report.

Resilience Reigned in 2020: How Livestock Producers Navigated the Pandemic
Resilience Reigned in 2020: How Livestock Producers Navigated the Pandemic

The onset of the COVID-19 hit the livestock industry especially hard. A sudden loss of demand caused prices to plummet. But thanks to the ability to pivot quickly, livestock producers showed resilience in 2020.

Cattle traded higher last week
Hulett: More Cash Rings in the New Year

Cattle feeders found higher prices as 2020 came to a close, but their ability to push the market higher may hinge on how Live Cattle futures perform in the first weeks of the New Year.

Baldie steers
Cash Fed Cattle Gain Momentum At Year’s End

Cattle feeders gained enough leverage to push negotiated cash cattle prices higher during both holiday weeks as 2020 drew to a close. Supplies of fed cattle will tick lower during the first quarter of 2021.

2021 Livestock Market Outlook Roundup
2021 Livestock Market Outlook Roundup

The editors at AgWeb.com are looking at experts’ projections for commodities in 2021 to help you succeed in the coming year. Here’s a look at what analysts expect for the upcoming year in the protein segments.

Cattle traded steady
Hulett: Better Than Expected

Cash cattle in the South traded steady, and futures contracts had a decent week but packer needs during the holidays seem to have more of an effect than the futures market.