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Losses continued to grow for feedyards and the spread between feeder losses and packer profits only widened with a $1.50 per cwt. decline in cash cattle prices last week.

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.

Beef packer continued with a stranglehold on cattle markets last week, buying a few cattle to fill their needs at lower money and keeping operating margins historically high.

Billions in breaks for energy sought in ‘tax extenders’ bill.

The many moving pieces in grid marketing make it a bit of a chess game, but learning to play opens more opportunity for big wins. Ranchers can target cow herd genetics toward factors driving value in the supply chain.

Beginning Monday, USDA’s Market News will issue two new reports based on Mandatory Livestock Reporting data to provide further insight into formula cattle trades and help promote fair and competitive markets.

Price discovery in today’s fed cattle market “appears to be functioning effectively in even the thinnest regional fed cattle markets,” according to an analysis by University of Arkansas agricultural economists.

AgriTalk host Chip Flory discusses the status of the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act with Senators Deb Fischer and Chuck Grassley.

With the industry divided on the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act legislation, perspectives range across regions of the U.S. TCFA president and CEO Ben Weinheimer shares his southern plains viewpoint.

The agency announced it will not finalize a plan introduced by the Trump Administration, instead handing control of rulemaking to its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.