Market Reports
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.
As the futures continued to grab new ground throughout the week, cattle feeders continued to find confidence in higher asking prices.
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 weather is packing a punch across much of farm country this week. However, its being somewhat ignored by the trade.
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.
The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) hasn’t released its November numbers past October due to the government shutdown. If they’re anything like October’s numbers, then they could be record-shattering.
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.
Market dynamics and consumer shifts support U.S. beef.
The beef cattle industry will receive $5.1 billion of CFAP funding to partially offset 2020 losses due to COVID-19. USDA expects to begin sign-up in early May and distribute payments by late May or early June.
COVID-19 has temporarily placed a restriction on the number of cattle that can be harvested in a given week. That scenario is usually a recipe for lower prices, but this week’s extremely light fed trade was steady.
The coronavirus meltdown is the second black swan event for cattlemen in six months, but many fear this is worse than the Tyson packing plant fire.
Tyson Foods announced a one-time assistance payments to cattle feeders “in an effort to demonstrate our commitment and support of our valued cattle suppliers.”
Significantly reduced slaughter levels brought the full weight of the COVID-19 crisis to bear on cattle markets this week as cash cattle prices declined and boxed beef prices spiked to record highs.
While any tally of cattle waiting on shackle space is – at best – an estimate, an analysis of Cattle on Feed and slaughter data suggests estimates of 1 million cattle backlogged may be overstated by as much as 50%.
A recent paper offers an interesting look at an alternative model for growing cattle health and performance where efficiency was achieved using less.
Order buyers were willing to take on early-weaned calves in drought-stricken areas of the Northern Plains, according to AMS reporters.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Stocker and feeder cattle saw significant price reductions last week as grain markets continued marching higher in rapid fashion.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.