Markets
The $1 threshold seemed to be a sticking point for cattle feeders last week, and many held firm on Friday which could prove to give cash prices a needed boost.
Omaha-based Green Plains Inc, announced it has completed the sale of 50% of Green Plains Cattle Company LLC for $77 million.
“Economic and political order has become disorder,” Dan Basse, president of AgResource told attendees at the recent Feeding Quality Forum during his keynote address.
The new frontier in nutrition research is the rumen microbe population, and new management practices have been shown to improve rumen health.
The cattle industry needs to make some bold, creative changes to ensure its viability, according to speakers at the Feeding Quality Forum held in Amarillo, Texas.
Cash fed cattle continued a downward spiral driven by losses in CME Live cattle futures. Tyson announced its Kansas beef plant won’t be fully operational until January.
The lack of aggressive trade was noticed mostly in the south where cash trade could not get any higher than $1.00 last week.
Cash fed cattle traded at lower prices ahead of the Labor Day weekend, while steer and heifer calves sold steady to higher at auctions.
When loading and unloading cattle, the choice of “movement assistance device” may affect the loading outcome as well as the end product.
If anything good comes from the Tyson fire, maybe it will be that everyone will realize the burden of our over-committed fed cattle supply.
USCA calls on the USDA and the CFTC to “convene cattle market participants to discuss concerns related to price transparency and true price discovery.”
Brazil’s agriculture minister says Indonesia has authorized beef exports from 10 Brazilian meat packing plants.
U.S. Ag Secretary Sonny Purdue has directed USDA’s Packers and Stockyards Division to launch an investigation into recent beef pricing activity.
Citing heightened concerns about environmental preservation and sustainable beef production, JBS SA is using satellite technology to monitor suppliers.
Poor performance from CME futures on Friday limited what cattle feeders could gain back on the cash market from the declines over the last few weeks.
U.S. cattle on feed totaled 11.1 million head in USDA’s August 1 inventory, which was slightly higher than the same period a year ago.
While the fire was unfortunate, the industry suffered more from an over-reaction by cattle markets in the week immediately following the fire.
Packers were hesitant to offer a bid on cattle early last week, and after a $5 decline, feeders still have many unanswered questions about the impact of harvest capacity.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly says the fire at Tyson’s beef facility will affect many individuals and businesses in the beef industry that fuels western Kansas, and offered the state’s support.
In a head-scratching week of data, estimated cattle slaughter was 9,000 head higher following the Tyson fire, cattle prices were down 5% or more, and yet wholesale beef prices rose 9%.
AgriTalk host Chip Flory and Drovers editor Greg Henderson discuss the impact of the fire at Tyson’s facility in Kansas and the impact on cattle markets.
Cattle markets continued reeling Tuesday as both CME Live Cattle and Feeder Cattle set contract lows following Monday’s locked limit-down performance.
Packer participation in the cattle market was an issue even before Friday night’s fire at Tyson’s Holcomb, Kan., beef packing facility.
Fed cattle trade was slow to develop in the southern plains with packer bids falling $2 short of steady. Feeder cattle traded at uneven prices across the nation.
The indefinite closure of Tyson’s Holcomb, Kan., facility creates the potential the cattle “marketing pace will slow down and carcass weights will increase.”
For his leadership to the beef industry and dedication to raising quality cattle, Jerry Bohn will receive the 2019 Feeding Quality Forum (FQF) Industry Achievement Award later this month.
Feeder steers sold steady to $2 higher, with instances of heavier cattle selling $6 to $7 higher in special sales in the Southern Plains.
Packers enjoyed a comfortable inventory last week, and many have stopped Saturday harvests, which helped push cash cattle prices $1 per cwt. lower.
Cattle feeders’ perseverance paid dividends as they held out for steady to higher cash trade in all feeding regions.
Providing shade and cool water, and only feeding or working cattle in the cool of the day can prevent solar radiation and the damaging effects from an elevated heat load.