News
Packers searching for cattle last week hinted at their looming predicament – showlists too small to utilize current industry capacity.
If there was an industry-wide BOLO system (be on the lookout), packers would have used it this week as they seek to build an inventory of market-ready cattle to fill their post-July 4th needs.
The PAC Summit for Industry Leaders will be held July 12, 2023, at the Holiday Inn in Kearney, Nebraska. The event features an exciting line-up of speakers and topics.
Launching the new Center on Vaccine Evaluation and Alternatives for Antimicrobials, or CVEAA, Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine aims to support animal vaccine development and usage.
Interstate movement requirements of animals, especially livestock, vary according to the state of destination. These requirements have existed for years to facilitate trade and prevent the spread of disease.
Attractive wholesale beef prices have encouraged packers to give up some inventory with aggressive slaughter numbers. Packers may need to get creative in the weeks ahead as numbers decline.
Satellite technology and remote monitoring systems keep the water flowing on the Bar T Bar Ranch, Arizona, with the ability to quickly change water flow, start pumps, or turn off water — directly from a mobile phone.
A California man has shown that ghost cattle are unnecessary to create a Ponzi scheme, just ghost manure. Or, at least, ghost manure digesters.
Profit margins for both beef and pork producers moved slightly higher last week, ending a month-long downward trend. Both sectors remain solidly profitable.
Cattle feeders saw another significant bump in profit margins last week.
Cattle feeding margins declined $22 per head last week, but remain more than $280.
Cattle and hogs prices both moved higher last week and both enterprises posted profits on closeouts for the first time in several months.
Cattle feeders saw modest profits for the 10th consecutive week, a headline-worthy observation in normal times. The beef complex is not operating in normal times.
Average cattle feeding margins improved $20 per head last week, which beef packer margins declined 17%. Farrow-to-finish operations recorded per head losses for the fourth consecutive week.
Cattle and hog finishing profit margins were little changed from last week, with modest profits for cattle and losses for hogs. Beef packer margins declined again to their lowest mark since March.
Average feedyard closeouts saw modest profits for cattle last week as cash prices improved. Hog finishing margins declined from near breakeven to a loss of $6 per head.
Industry-wide average cattle feeding closeouts were printed in red ink last week for the first time since late September, while packers saw another significant decline to their margins.
Higher grain prices and lower cash livestock prices contributed to a decline in feeding margins last week, leaving closeouts showing red ink for both cattle and hogs.
Beef packer leverage is evident with cash cattle prices $7 per cwt. lower than the same week a year ago and beef cutout prices $23 per cwt. higher. Pork producers are gaining leverage with a $5 per cwt. price rally.
Cattle and hog feeding both saw solid average profits for the week ending April 2, boosted by higher average farmgate prices. Cattle were positive for the second week, while positive hog margins entered a third month.
Cattle and hog feeding operations are experiencing the highest market prices since before the pandemic began more than a year ago. Hog margins were positive for the 11th consecutive week.
Cattle and hog feeding operations are in the midst of their most profitable time since before the pandemic began. Cattle margins nearly doubled last week and hog margins were positive for the 10th consecutive week.
Cattle and hog finishing margins were headed in opposite directions last week, with lean hog prices enjoying a three-week rally while cattle prices were stuck in neutral for a second week.
Market hogs found twice the profit margin of fed steers last week due to a rally that has added nearly $22 per cwt. to lean hog carcass prices over the past month, while cash cattle prices have been stuck in neutral.
Profit margins for cattle and hogs continue trending in opposite directions as feedyard closeouts slipped below breakeven and hog margins saw another boost from higher prices.
Market hogs sold last week earned an average profit margins nearly four times that of fed steers. That’s mainly due to a rally that has added more than $20 per cwt. to lean hog carcass prices over the past month.
Cattle feeding margins improved $60 per head the week ending Feb. 12 and hog margins reported profits for the second consecutive week as lean hog prices rallied.
Cash prices for both cattle and hogs advanced last week leaving feeding margins for both species solidly in the black. Hog margins were positive for the eighth consecutive week and cattle climbed out of the red.
Cattle feeding margins were little changed from the previous week with modest profits. Hog feeding margins were boosted for a third week with another advance in lean carcass prices.
Cattle prices held steady last week, but packer margins continue climbing in the greatest squeeze on cattlemen in memory without the influence of a specific black swan event. Pork producers are experiencing euphoria.