Search - Drovers

After a small dip last week to $132.30 per hundredweight, the 5-Area Accumulated Average Cattle Price jumped back up to $133.24 per hundredweight.

U.S. beef exports were down slightly from November 2014, but posted their largest volume (95,799 metric tons) since June. Most Asian markets performed well for U.S. beef in November, but exports continued to slump to le

U.S. beef exports in November showed signs of a rebound, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program.

There are few losers in the cattle market right now. From packers all the way down to cow-calf producers, current prices this summer are turning profits far into what is typically a seasonal lull.

America’s cattle feeders earned an average of $323 on a cash basis for every steer and heifer they sent to market during the first eight months of 2017.

Cattle feeding losses averaged $83 per head last week, while packers recorded $168 per head profits, according to the Sterling Beef Profit Tracker.

Cattle feeding profits improved with $1 per cwt. higher cash prices and lower feeder cattle prices calculated against last week’s closeouts.

Packer margins improved $55 per head last week as Choice beef cutout values gained nearly $4 per cwt and cash cattle prices declined $1 per cwt.

A $1 per cwt rally helped boost cattle feeding profits marginally last week while packers lost a little off their large margins.

While cash cattle prices slipped only modestly, cattle feeders saw margins erode by $86 per head, falling from an average profit of $38 two weeks ago to an average loss of $49 per head last week.