Latest News From Markets

CattleFax analyst Duane Lenz told the 2019 Angus Convention attendees there could be another year or two of price pressure, but then, he’s optimistic, bullish even, for future beef prices.

Gains in cash fed cattle prices did not translate into higher profits for feedyards last week as higher feeder cattle prices were calculated into breakevens.

Cash cattle traded higher again and all four major packers participated in last week’s trade, including Tyson for the Finney County, Kan., plant.

USDA's cattle on feed report counted 11.83 million head on feed, which is 101.2% of last year and up 4.8% from October as feedlot inventories increase to a seasonal peak.

Here is your weekly grain and livestock market outlook and review for Nov. 25 from the economic experts at Doane Advisory Services.

AMS will host a stakeholder meeting in Kansas City, December 12, to review a study on Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) negotiated slaughter cattle market reporting.

African swine fever (ASF) could be the biggest event in animal protein for years, as the devastating disease spreads beyond China’s borders.

Shocking profit spread fueled the anger and deepening rift between packers and feeders. Who was right?

Packer market participation wasn’t as robust as it had been in earlier weeks, and packers have slowly added to their inventory ahead of the holidays.

Jeffries Financial Group announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its remaining 31% interest in National Beef to Marfrig Global Foods SA.

Tyson Fresh Meats said early Monday the construction and repairs to its Finney County beef complex are nearing completion.

Cash fed cattle prices traded higher in all regions for the third consecutive week, marking a 16% gain since the lows were set in September.

Using implants correctly says Robbi Pritchard, longtime South Dakota State University ruminant nutritionist, “you can have all of the performance and all of the final product value you want.”

Cattle feeders will honor their own Feb. 4, 2020, in San Antonio, during their 11th annual banquet, held for the second year in conjunction with the nation’s largest annual cattle industry gathering.

Last week’s $1 increase in cash fed cattle prices did little for feedyard profits, but the $6.40 rally in wholesale beef prices added another $25 onto already large packer margins.

When the topic of sustainability comes up cattle circles, it’s common to see heads shaking. It’s not a topic we like to discuss – primarily because it’s so often raised with bad intentions and worse information.

Strong wholesale beef prices keep packer margins solidly profitable and encourage packers to be aggressive participants.

Beef cow slaughter in 2019 will be the highest relative to the overall cow herd since 2013, and suggests tighter supplies in 2020 and higher overall prices.

Crowd Cow, the online meat company, is partnering with Midan Marketing to study consumers’ behaviors when purchasing meat.

Cattle and boxed beef markets have posted significant gains over the past two weeks in a continuation of what has been an impressive recovery since the unsettled markets of August/September.

Last month your industry launched a program to help counter the environmental and animal welfare concerns by highlighting how cattle are raised under BQA guidelines.

Packers were still hunting front end cattle late last Friday, knowing that feeders would have their sights set on a higher December board for the trade this week.

Boxed beef prices increased about ten percent over the month of October into early November, a significantly higher increase than the normal seasonal bump.

Cash cattle markets pushed higher as November began, supported by an ongoing rally in CME live cattle and packer demand for supplies headed into the holiday season.

A new campaign kicked off in October that brings the BQA program to life by highlighting how farmers and ranchers across the country raise cattle under BQA guidelines.

Imagine how valuable a technology could be in your animal health program that provides a daily list of calves not visiting the feed bunk or water tank in the last 24 hours.

America’s four largest beef packers face another lawsuit claiming antitrust violations since 2015, this one filed by a California distributor seeking treble damages.

Proposed legislation claims the lack of a federal definition of beef or beef products has created "opportunity for marketplace confusion and consumer fraud," say the bill's authors.

Beef packers continued to show signs that they still need cattle to meet the demand of their customers and paid higher prices last week.

Produce members work together to solidify growing trade

Friday's USDA cattle on feed report pegged heifer numbers at 39.1 of feedlot inventories, the highest percentage in more than 18 years, and year-to-date heifer slaughter is up more than 7%.

Cash fed cattle sold $1 to $2 higher, but yearling feeder cattle sold uneven at auction with steer and heifer calves trading $1 to $4 lower.

Research supports fat as part of a healthy diet and consumers are demanding high-quality beef, and the beef industry has seen a rebound of grade because of increased emphasis on genetics, says Dale Woerner, Texas Tech.

Cash cattle markets backed up last week from a steady upward movement due to a boiler explosion, and the three days of unexpected downtime at Cargill’s Dodge City plant.

How a single packing plant fire shook up the cattle markets.

The Beef Industry Long Range Plan is updated every five years to identify key areas to advance beef demand and help the industry focus on one strategic direction.

China has been buying a lot of U.S. pork recently. Yet, the hog market may not see as big of a boost as what producers want with the news. Tyne Morgan discusses why, in this AgDay analysis.

Cargill's Dodge City, Kan., beef processing facility was back online Monday morning after an explosion on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019.

Following an explosion Oct. 17, Cargill says it is sending live cattle to other facilities but expects its Dodge City cattle receiving operations to resume early next week.

Cattlemen sought relief from devastating cattle markets following the August fire at a Kansas packing plant.

Cargill says it closed its Dodge City beef packing and processing facility on Thursday after an explosion injured two employees.

Cattle feeders continue to take advantage of the advancing cash market, with higher sales in all regions last week.

Consumers will soon learn how beef farmers and ranchers take to care of their animals to produce high quality beef in a new promotion and advertising campaign about the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program.

Agricultural markets will be impacted by world population growth, economic growth and the expanding middle class, African Swine Fever and the development of alternative proteins.

While fed cattle supplies remain historically large, they are set to decline moving forward. Seasonal supplies will be at their peak in the first quarter of 2020.

CAB growth credited to “an entire community of Angus farmers, ranchers and feeders being extremely intentional over several years in the way they breed, raise and care for their cattle with a focus on quality.”

Citing concerns about foreign ownership of U.S. companies, two U.S. senators have asked Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to open a formal investigation of JBS SA.

The combination of shrinking packer profits and smaller feedyard losses over the past six weeks has reduced the packer/feeder margin spread by 27%, according to the Sterling Beef Profit Tracker.

From a seller’s perspective, the fed-cattle trade continues to improve, with last week’s numbers making it the third straight week of higher prices since September 9th.

Wes Shoemyer, a Missouri farmer and speaker at last week's "Rally to Stop The Stealin'" in Omaha, responds to critics of the #FairCattleMarkets movement.