Latest News From Markets

Texas feedyard
Fed Cattle Soft, Feeders Higher, No COF Surprises

Fed cattle treaded steady in the South to weaker in the North, with wholesale beef prices posting additional declines for the week. Friday's cattle on feed report was as advertised and will be viewed as neutral.

COF Up Slightly, Placements Down 9%
COF Up Slightly, Placements Down 9%

Placements in feedlots during November totaled 1.91 million head, 9 percent below 2019. Net placements were 1.85 million head.

Profit Tracker: Beef Packer Margins Decline 33%
Profit Tracker: Beef Packer Margins Decline 33%

On a percentage basis, beef packer margins declined significantly last week. It's all relative, of course, since the starting point from the previous week was stunning.

Cash cattle traded lower
Cash Sinks With The Board

Cash cattle trade began on Tuesday last week, but bids were scarce even at lower money. Some feeders held strong for higher money, but with the decline in the CME board a higher market never surfaced.

Fed cattle
Cash Cattle Prices Fizzle As Cutout Drops

Cattle markets limped through a lackluster week for cash sales as wholesale beef prices plummeted. Despite lower cash cattle prices, packer margins likely declined significantly with lower cutout values.

Profit Tracker: Feeding Margins Positive 11th Consecutive Week
Profit Tracker: Feeding Margins Positive 11th Consecutive Week

Cattle and hog finishing margins were modestly positive the first week of December, marking the 11th consecutive week of profitability. Packer margins remain historically high.

Cattle traded in a wide range
Hulett: Cattle Feeders Squander Opportunity

Negotiated cash cattle traded started at higher money mid-week, but in their rush to move cattle some feeders agreed to lower prices and the week ended on a softer note.

Feedlot steers
Cash Cattle Steady To Softer

The post-Thanksgiving negotiated trade was mixed, with higher prices mid-week, falling off $1 to $2 by week's end. Feeder cattle sold uneven, $2 lower to $3 higher.

CAB Insider: First Sales of CAB in China
CAB Insider: First Sales of CAB in China

The first shipments of the Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB®) brand arrived in China in November, ushering in the potential for a new, powerful buyer for high-quality U.S. beef.

Profit Tracker: Cattle, Hog Margins Steady
Profit Tracker: Cattle, Hog Margins Steady

Cattle and hog feeding operations saw their margins remain modestly profitable last week with little movement in cash prices. Both cattle and hog feeding margins are higher than last year at the same time.

Feeder cattle sold uneven
Cash Fed Cattle Steady To Softer, Feeders Uneven

The Choice beef cutout price has rallied nearly $30 in November while cash fed cattle prices have gained just $5. As a result, packer margins have increased while feeding margins struggle to remain above water.

Profit Tracker: Cattle Margins Improve, Hogs Decline
Profit Tracker: Cattle Margins Improve, Hogs Decline

Cattle and hog finishing margins are both modestly positive for the seventh consecutive week, though hog margins saw a slight decline with lower lean carcass prices.

Cash prices traded higher
Hulett: Cash Cresting?

Did outside factors or did cash trade cresting at $110 create the sell off Friday?  This week’s cash bids from the packer might be the best answer to that question. 

Cattle weights are declining
Cattle Carcass Weights Moderating

Market analysts see signs that feedyards have significantly reduced the COVID-19-induced backlog of cattle and are regaining currentness, also a key factor in the recent market rally.

Cash cattle prices traded higher
November Cattle Rally Continues

The rally in the cattle markets continued this week with solid gains in both cash fed cattle and the boxed beef cutout. Cash cattle prices are now at a level not seen since late June.

CAB Insider: Carcass Quality Spreads Widen on Seasonal Demand
CAB Insider: Carcass Quality Spreads Widen on Seasonal Demand

In the last CAB Insider, we reported on a rapidly retreating fed cattle market scenario. However, much has changed in the two-week interim.

Profit Tracker: Modest Profit Holding Pattern
Profit Tracker: Modest Profit Holding Pattern

Closeouts on cattle and hogs marketed last week remain modestly profitable for the sixth consecutive week, according to calculations by Sterling Marketing.

Cattle markets rallied the first week of November
Cash Cattle, Futures, Boxed Prices All Higher

Cattle markets entered November with solid gains across all sectors. Fed cattle rebounded with higher prices in all regions while feeder cattle jumped $2 to $7 per cwt.

Profit Tracker: Profit Margins Erode For Cattle And Hogs
Profit Tracker: Profit Margins Erode For Cattle And Hogs

Cattle and hog finishing margins remain positive for the sixth consecutive week, but cash prices for both declined modesty last week and margins eroded.

Cash fed cattle prices steady
Hulett: Holding the Descent

Beef packers could be moving into a period with smaller inventories, which may prompt them to push prices higher. CME futures prices will again have an impact on the cash trade.

Cattle in snow
Derrell Peel: 'We interrupt this La Niña with an early winter storm'

Last week’s early winter storm exposed cattle to cold, wet conditions, but also brought much-needed moisture to the nation’s wheat belt reviving prospects for winter grazing.

Stocker cattle
Cattle Markets Hampered By Season's First Storm

Wide regional variations in prices for fed cattle were found this week and the cash trade was slow to develop. The season's first winter storm affected the sales and movement of both fed and feeder cattle.

CAB Insider: Select Carcass Value Pressure
CAB Insider: Select Carcass Value Pressure

The fed cattle price recovery that has been painstakingly built since early September has eroded in an extraordinary decline over the past two weeks. 

Profit Tracker: Modest Profits Continue For Cattle And Hogs
Profit Tracker: Modest Profits Continue For Cattle And Hogs

Both cattle feeding and hog finishing operations found modest profits for the fifth consecutive week calculated on a cash basis, according to the Sterling Profit Tracker.

Nebraska feedlot
Derrell Peel: Early Winter Storm And Cattle On Feed

A large winter storm is advancing across the central U.S. bringing cold temperatures and some much-needed moisture. Feedlots continued to build inventory during September leading to a record inventory for Oct. 1.

Cash cattle softer again
Cash and Futures Weaken Again

Cattle feeders found softer prices and weaker packer demand as last week progressed, driven in part by declines in CME futures prices.

Nebraska feedyard
Cash Cattle Lower, COF Inventory Higher

Both CME cattle futures and cash prices were lower for the second consecutive week. USDA's cattle on feed report found a record October 1 inventory as September placements were called 6% higher.

Profit Tracker: Modest Profits For Cattle And Hogs
Profit Tracker: Modest Profits For Cattle And Hogs

Cattle and hog finishing margins are both positive for the fourth consecutive week despite the fact cash prices for cattle and hogs were slightly lower last week.

Cash and futures trended lower
Futures Are A Drag On Cash

Despite declines in both cash and futures prices, cattle feeders continue to believe cattle markets show signs of optimism.

MM Feeders
Cattle Trade: Cash And Futures Lower

Cash cattle and futures traded lower for cattle most of the week, while grain markets experienced a harvest rally.

Profit margins should improve for cow-calf and feedlots next year.
Cattle Market’s Bottom Is In, Nalivka Says

Profitability for both cow-calf and feedyards is projected to improve in 2021, Sterling Marketing president John Nalivka told AgriTalk host Chip Flory.

CAB INSIDER: Closing the Books on a Rollercoaster Year
CAB INSIDER: Closing the Books on a Rollercoaster Year

Fed cattle prices have steadily increased since the second week in September, adding roughly $7/cwt. to the short-term low at that time. Last week saw early trade mostly at $108 to $109/cwt.

Profit Tracker: Cattle And Hog Margins Positive
Profit Tracker: Cattle And Hog Margins Positive

Average cattle and hog finishing margins are both positive for the third consecutive week, according to calculations in the Sterling Marketing Profit Tracker.

Cattle on feed
Patience Pays Off

Producers who had the patience to hold out until Friday trade were rewarded with higher money, and packers remain hungry for cattle. 

Beef cows
Glenn Selk: Dressing Percent And Cull Cow Marketing

Cull cows represent about 20% of the gross income in commercial cow calf operations, so understanding the major factors impacting cull cow prices is important to your bottom line.

Baldie steers
Derrell Peel: Cattle Slaughter Dynamics

There are many dynamics in cattle slaughter markets in the fourth quarter that will determine total slaughter for the year, but an early analysis suggests a 2.5% decline.

Calf-in-the-cowshed.jpg
U.S. Cattle Industry Faces Emergence of its Own Novel Virus

At a point in history when a novel virus dominates the news cycle and impacts our lives daily, another novel virus has emerged in the United States – this time, in the cattle population.

Cattle in a Kansas Feedyard
Fall Rally Continues For Fed Cattle

A fall rally in cash fed cattle markets has added $5 to $6 per cwt. over the past three weeks. Feeder cattle remain in moderate demand, but drought conditions across much of the Great Plains is affecting cattle markets.

Feedlot cattle
Retail Beef Market Embraces Changes, New Cuts

As the COVID-19 pandemic brought beef shortages, consumers may have noticed some different cuts of beef when their traditional selections were sold out.

Cash cattle trading higher
Higher Cash Still Disappoints

The early trade released any pressure on packers to acquire available inventory and made it easier for them to achieve their buy. The majority of the cash trade in the South was from two packers.

Cattle trade gained $2 to $3
Cash Cattle Rally $2 to $3 In Active Trade

Packers aggressively sought inventory last week and cash fed cattle prices surged $2 per cwt., to instances of $3 higher for the week. Large trade volumes were reported in the North at $107 to $108 per cwt.

Huyser family, MM Feeders, Elm Creek, Neb.
M&M Feeders Wins CAB Honors

For building beneficial relationships and their drive to produce the best, M&M Feeders earned the 2020 Feedyard Commitment to Excellence Award from the Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB®) brand.

MM Feeders
Cattle Trade Higher Ahead of Record COF

Large volumes of cattle traded in all regions at $2 higher prices ahead of Friday's cattle on feed report which counted 4% more inventory than last September.

Corn by-products can be an alternative energy feed source for cattle.
Feeding By-products to Cattle

Corn by-products, such as wet gluten and distillers’ grains, can be an alternative energy feed source for cattle.

Nalivka: Marketing Beef from the Ground Up
Nalivka: Marketing Beef from the Ground Up

It seems as though marketing has always been kept at an arms-length from production agriculture.  Until recently, raising cattle has been well-defined just as the name says – raising cattle. 

Reconsidering Rye: A Rotational Hybrid & Feed Option for Livestock

A fourth-generation Minnesota farmer has spent more than two decades seeking an alternative crop. His solution—hybrid rye—offers a low-maintenance small grain that pairs well with livestock & boosts sustainability

Saddle Horn Ranch
NCBA Supports Disaster Relief Resources For Cattlemen

NCBA released a statement highlighting federal programs that are available for cattle producers across the country who are being impacted by wildfires, hurricanes, drought, and other natural disasters.

China has suspended imports from an OK Foods poultry plant in Fort Smith, Arkansas, because of coronavirus cases among workers, the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council said on Tuesday.
China Suspends Poultry Imports From Second U.S. Plant Over COVID-19

China has suspended imports from an OK Foods poultry plant in Fort Smith, Arkansas, because of coronavirus cases among workers, the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council said on Tuesday.

Gearhart Ranch, Texas
McKnight: Cow-calf Producers Need Better Price Discovery

"For too long, cow-calf producers across the nation have marketed our cattle with one hand tied behind our back. The culprit has been an ever-growing lack of price discovery."

Strauss Free Raised beef
New Wisconsin Beef Plant Proposed

Wisconsin beef processor Strauss Brands is seeking approval to build a new 152,000 square-foot packing facility that will process between 250 and 500 head per day.