Markets
The fed cattle market was sharply higher last week with a $4.29/cwt. upward move.
Brad Kooima, Kooima Kooima Varilek, says grains lose early strength running into chart resistance. While cattle also started higher with the sharply higher cash trade Thursday but faded.
Scott Varilek, Kooima Kooima Varilek, says the slightly higher placements than expectations in the USDA Cattle on Feed Report are not a concern to him. He thinks cash is ultimately king!
Check out the Sterling Marketing Beef Profit Tracker ending April 12.
In times of chaos, it’s best to go back to the basics of basis and price. Effective risk management has little room for mistakes, but that doesn’t mean it has to be perfect.
Brad Kooima, Kooima Kooima Varilek, says cattle are seeing followthrough buying and strength Monday morning as the S&P 500 continues to stabilize and recover after the tariff delays.
Embrace market volatility, and figure out how to use it to your advantage during this time of uncertainty, advises commodity broker Brad Kooima
Arlan Suderman, StoneX Chief Commodities Economist says the markets reacted positively to the 90-day delay on reciprocal tariffs for countries that reached out to negotiate with the U.S. and did not retaliate.
The 2025 fed cattle harvest has run very close to a year ago with the full production weeks averaging 473,000 head, a 1,600-head increase over the same period last year.
Check out Sterling Marketing’s Beef Profit Tracker for week ending April 5.
Check out the Sterling Marketing Beef Profit Tracker ending March 29.
Last week’s fed cattle trade was highlighted by sales late Friday that featured substantially higher prices as packer demand for spot market cattle pressed prices higher in all regions.
The Sterling Marketing Beef Profit Tracker shows current breakeven price in the $170s/cwt compares to $200/cwt for currently placed cattle.
February report confirms cattle on feed, placements and marketing statistics all down.
While tariffs are negative for grain and hog producers, tariffs on U.S. beef and cattle imports have a net effect of tightening supplies and that’s price positive.
Check out the Sterling Marketing’s Profit Tracker ending for week of March 14.
Total beef cattle harvest last week was up 12,000 head from the prior week at 578,000 head, 6,000 head fewer than the same week last year.
Feedlot margins jumped from $198 to $366. Choice steers were up slightly to $201.
Brad Kooima of Kooima Kooima Varilek says live cattle see buying interest after strong cash late last week. Corn tries to hold gains with soybeans seeing South American harvest pressure and concern about China’s 10% tariffs on U.S. soybeans.
Choice steers down $2 from last week with feed costs up. Packer margins still in red.
Darren Frye, Water Street Solutions, says corn, wheat and hogs reacted negatively to the 25% tariffs being imposed on Canada and Mexico on March 4.
Beef packers saw losses of $195.60 per head and pork packers saw losses of $1.41 per head.
Total beef cattle harvest last week was slightly larger than the prior week at 563,000 head, an increase of 2,000 head.
The total U.S. feedlot inventory on Jan. 1, 2025 was 14.297 million head, including 2.474 million head in feedlots with capacity less than 1,000 head.
Cash cattle decreased slightly at $202.85 per cwt., while lean carcass hog prices came in higher at $89.67 per cwt.
Cash cattle decreased slightly at $207.25 per cwt., while lean carcass hog prices came in slightly higher at $85.78 per cwt.
CattleFax released its annual price projections at CattleCon and expects cattle prices to stay strong for a while.
Cash cattle remained steady at $209.97 per cwt., while lean carcass hog prices came in slightly higher at $85.56 per cwt.
Cash cattle averaged $210.22 per cwt., up $6 from last week, while lean carcass hog prices came in slightly higher at $82.71 per cwt.
Live Cattle and Feeder Cattle futures prices have been forced higher as Live Cattle contracts had been lagging negotiated values until recent days.