Markets
April placements of cattle on feed totaled 9% more than a year ago, with marketings 7% higher.
Feedyards only saw one active packer bidding on cattle in the south last week.
The basis will need to continue to narrow for feedyards to see significant cash cattle price improvement.
Cattle prices are derived from the total value that consumers place on beef products.
One of the interesting notes in the cattle market over the last year has been the relatively low level of steer slaughter.
Last week brought continued pressure on the cash fed cattle market in all regions, and the result was prices $3 to $4 per cwt. lower.
The U.S. beef industry has evolved significantly over the past five years with a consumer-driven emphasis on value-added products.
This week’s market promises to be interesting as feeders must decide how they want to trade now that the cash-futures basis is more favorable to feeders.
A federal class action lawsuit was filed against America’s four largest beef packers alleging a price-fixing scheme that dates back to 2015.
The University of Idaho will build a new meat science and innovation center on its Moscow campus.
E. coli is responsible for forcing a recall on ground beef sold to restaurants primarily in the southeast and it could be related to a larger outbreak that has sickened 156 people in 10 states.
R-CALF USA has filed a class action lawsuit against America’s four largest packing companies claiming their actions since 2015 have depressed prices paid to ranchers.
Cash fed cattle prices finally turned higher in the south, following in the steps of the north to add $2 per cwt to the cash market.
Cattle on Feed estimates for April 1, 2019, were 2% higher than the same month a year ago.
Last week’s fed cattle market saw a wide variation in prices between the south and the north, with some feeders willing to sacrifice one set of cattle in order to get another set in.
Burger King is starting a pilot project in 59 restaurants to start selling a plant-based Whopper and if successful the Impossible Whopper could be found in more than 7,000 locations nationwide.
U.S. feedlots with more than 500 cattle on feed increased in numbers 12% during the five year period between 2012 and 2017, according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture.
Aaron Ogren, 30, of Exeter, Nebraska, has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty after more than 200 cattle died on a feedlot.
A recall has been announced by JBS and USDA after more than 43,000 lb. of ground beef was found to be possibly contaminated by extraneous materials, specifically, pieces of hard plastic.
Adverse weather has likely slowed cattle finishing somewhat but the slaughter totals across classes mostly reflect underlying herd dynamics.
Cash cattle trade was like a roller coaster ride with disappointing downs, and faith restoring gains for the north.
The downward movement in the market feels like it should be short lived, but is dependent on how willing producers are to fight for a price.
A softer cash fed cattle market leaves cattlemen wondering if the spring highs are in for 2019.
The south Texas beef packer formerly known as Kane Beef has reopened under the name of STX Beef.
USDA’s March 1 cattle on feed report estimated 1% more cattle in feedlots than the same period last year.
Many of the corporate yards in the south are loaded with market-ready cattle, which may reduce packer aggressiveness.
Joan Ruskamp reflects on her year as chairperson of the CBB and the value of the beef checkoff.
Cattle markets have been keeping pace in early 2019 compared to the same first quarter period in 2017 and 2018.
DNA markers can identify animals, even after meat processing and the rapidly-growing Open Prairie brand will use the tracing tech.
Jessie Ramirez, head of maintenance and equipment operator at Brookover Feed Yard outside Garden City, Kan., has been the model example of what feedlots are looking for from their workforce.