After a mostly sluggish April, market-ready fed cattle saw a solid rally in the North and steady money in the South. Futures markets began to look past the psychologically bearish H5N1 virus news.
Declining cattle futures prices continue to pressure cash prices. The cheaper inventories are working to pad the packer's pocket as evidenced by a few plants operating on Saturdays.
While tighter cattle numbers and further declines in beef production will support higher prices, demand will increasingly become the critical market driver in 2024.
Market-ready cattle prices have rolled back $10 per cwt. since the end of October and average carcass weights have increased to all-time highs, a sign feedlots are not as current as previously expected.
Remote drug delivery devices to treat cattle are increasingly popular among producers, especially for use with cattle on pasture. Many veterinarians, however, continue to question whether such tools warrant use at all.
Low-stress cattle handling methods have been discussed and promoted for many years, but could implementing low-stress handling techniques influence animal performance and improve your bottom line?
In his Value Creation in Cell Ag class, Tufts senior Adham Ali was tasked to work with a group of peers to design a product using cellular agriculture (or cell ag for short) to make life easier for consumers.
The Meat Institute and the Protein PACT will highlight animal agriculture’s commitments and progress toward global goals at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai Nov. 30 through Dec. 12.
Even experienced producers can inadvertently overlook crucial principles during the preparation and administration of vaccines and other animal health products. Here's a few considerations to note.
Lawyers representing the estates of Tyson workers who succumbed to COVID-19 complications during the 2020 pandemic are urging a reevaluation of a court decision that dismissed their legal actions.
Trust, credibility and authenticity are the three words that Don Schiefelbein came back to throughout this Casual Cattle Conversations podcast as he discussed the direction of the beef industry.
Rib and tenderloins are pricing near their annual highs, but a look at annual price trends across the beef carcass shows increasing contributions to CAB premiums from both ends of the carcass.
Genomic tests are a tool that can be used to create strategic marketing plans by taking a small ear tissue sample to compare genome traits of a calf to others in their breed.
What has more value to the profit potential of a commercial cow-calf operation that sells calves at weaning, percent calf crop weaned or weaning weight?
The future home of the American Royal moves forward on facility to “create a food and agriculture innovation district that will be unlike any other in the world,” said Kansas Governor Laura Kelly.
There seems a belief that speculators – either too many or not quite enough – are solely responsible for driving the market one direction or another. But bashing speculators is what people do who don’t like the price.
Liver abscesses in finished beef-cross cattle continue to frustrate feeders and packers. Severe liver abscesses negatively impact cattle performance in a number of ways.
A trade dispute settlement panel set up under a major North American free trade agreement has rejected a U.S. complaint that Canada is improperly limiting access to its dairy market.
While it's likely the U.S. cowherd is generally of higher quality than it was a decade ago, today’s smaller herd presents an opportunity for ranchers to take another step forward with quality and management.
A team of Irish researchers has developed a breakthrough innovation to monitor activity and health characteristics of dairy cows – and it doesn’t involve and wires, chips, batteries, or electronics of any kind.
Light cattle sales volumes were recorded in all regions during Thanksgiving week with cash prices generally $1 lower than the previous week, marking the fourth consecutive week with lower cash prices.
With the purchase of a small town watering hole and a family’s dream, TJ and Tifini Olson, owners of Round the Bend Steakhouse of rural Ashland, Neb., find immeasurable value in the Good Lord, good people and good beef.
An experienced veterinarian, Dr. Jeff Sarchet, shares how cow/calf producers can manage risk and protect profit with a complete and up-to-date pre-breeding vaccination protocol for both cows and replacement heifers.
Cattle futures markets have come under criticism lately for their volatility. A common theme is there are "too many shorts" or "too many longs." That ignores the fundamental fact that futures markets must come in pairs.
More calves born on dairies than ever before are eventually headed to feedyards these days. Performance and profitability merits sending healthy animals from the calf-rearing stage to the feedlot.
When cows get below their lower critical temperature and get into cold stress, they can adapt by increasing feed consumption to increase their basal metabolic rate and increase heat of fermentation.
The American Angus Association finishes 2023 with its ninth-consecutive year of more than 300,000 registrations and regular and junior memberships totaling nearly 22,000.
A combination of factors has contributed to increasing feedlot placements the past two months, including drought and increasing imports. But biggest factor is likely that producers are taking advantage of strong prices.
Friday’s COF placement numbers provided a friendly lean to a market that has suffered consecutive weeks of falling futures and lower cash bids. Sellers hope to leverage the short week ahead with higher asking prices.
Prices for market-ready cattle have tumbled $7 to $8 per cwt. since the beginning of the month even as supplies remain relatively tight. Volatility continues in the futures market.
The Animal Agriculture Alliance announced new upcoming board leadership, along with several board seats have renewed through 2026, following its fall board meeting, held Nov. 7 in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. feed grain supply is expected to grow by 3.4 million metric tons, propelled by a projected increase in corn yields for the 2023/24 corn production forecast, reports the USDA Economic Research Service.
The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) successfully concluded its Strategic Planning Conference with the election of a new dynamic officer team, including Randy Spronk, Steve Hanson, Jay Theiler and David Bruntz.
The Butler Community College Livestock Judging team was named high team overall in a tight to the top of the junior collegiate contest at the 2023 North American International Livestock Exposition.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) praised Congress for passing a government funding package that includes a one-year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill.
With a long window and investment to determine a heifer’s fate in the herd, producers should take advantage of genomic testing to get accurate information on maternal, performance, and carcass traits.