Markets
Industry analysts say there is a 1 million head backlog of cattle waiting for a harvest slot, and working through those heavy front-end supplies could take months.
Harvest numbers continue to improve as more plants ramp up leading to a steep decline for wholesale beef prices. Feeder cattle saw moderate demand and higher prices.
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The South saw another wide trading range last week as prices ranged from $95 to $115 per cwt. for cash fed cattle with just two packers active in the negotiated cash market.
Tyson Foods said on Wednesday it will discount prices on certain protein products the remainder of this week, and some beef items could be discounted 20% to 30%.
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Modeled after a set-aside program used in Canada after the BSE crisis in 2004, the Fed Cattle Set-Aside Program proposal would fund placing cattle on a maintenance diet for 75 days.
Light cash trade continued with a wide price range. Two of the major packers were active in the market, with one actively making an effort to support prices.
Early week fed cattle sales were steady at $95 to $100 per cwt., and $150 dressed. Friday, however, saw one major jump in and buy a few thousand cattle at $105, $5 higher than last week.
R-CALF USA has asked President Trump and House and Senate leaders to conduct a review the beef supply chain and consider “whether a physical and geographical restructuring of the meatpacking industry is required.”
“We need more small plants!”—-The tiny violin solo of the beef industry. To start: there are 853ish USDA beef kill plants in the US, the big four run 27 of them.
USDA’s monthly cattle on feed report estimated March placements to be the lowest since the data series began in 1996.
Cargill’s High River, Alta., beef harvest facility has slowed to one shift beginning this week to prioritize the health and safety of employees, reducing harvest to about 1,500 head per day.
Dozens of workers at Tyson’s Pasco, WA, beef plant have tested positive for COVID-19, but the plant will remain open under heightened health and safety procedures.
JBS USA says its Greeley, Colo., beef plant will be closed through Tuesday for “deep cleaning” in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19 among its thousands of employees. Two employee deaths have been reported.
Another steep decline in both fed cattle and feeder cattle was reported last week. Negotiated cash fed cattle sales were the second smallest since mandatory price reporting began in 2001.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer are asking President Donald Trump to investigate possible irregularities in the cattle markets over the past several weeks.
Officials in Weld County , Colo., and Hall County, Neb., are monitoring cases of COVID-19 that are linked to JBS USA beef packing facilities.
Unprecedented volatility in fed cattle markets during March produced a strong increase in negotiated cash sales from feedlots to packers the final two weeks of the month.
During a Facebook Live address to cattlemen Monday night, R-CALF CEO Bill Bullard outlined four actions his group proposes to “restore balance to our dysfunctional cattle markets.”
Texas congressman Mike Conaway told AgriTalk radio he believes an investigation into packer profits is likely, but encourages cattlemen and processors to continue working to feed Americans during the COVID-19 crisis.
Cash prices charged higher in feedyard country this week, leaving CME futures in the dust. Feeder cattle recovered most of the previous week’s losses.
The current cattle market situation creates significant disparities between the current supply and demand situation and expectations for coming supply and demand conditions.
Some American beef packing companies are adding to worker’s hourly pay and sick leave in response to the COVID-19 emergency. Some will earn an additional bonus for working all their shifts through May 3.
Panic meat buying emptied shelves and drove the Choice beef cutouts nearly $48 per cwt. higher. Cash fed cattle were higher, but not at a proportionate level.
Packer margin is significant. However, why is packer profitability the only focus, and we are not as outraged about the other “elephant in the room” issue within our market?
The U.S. and global economy is in uncharted waters. There are many unknowns about the timing, severity and aftermath of the disease. For beef, there are longer-term questions about the overall impact on demand.
Cattle markets will continue to be influenced by uncertainties from coronavirus, and the sharp selloff in financial markets. The DOW closed the week with a 1,985-point gain (9.4%), the DOW’s largest ever one-day gain.
The world’s largest potential market for beef seems to be shrinking under the strain of the cornonavirus as the government locked down cities for weeks and enforced wide-scale quarantines.