Cash fed cattle prices reached new record highs in all feeding regions last week, but the trade was a bracket-buster for packers who were forced to pay up as wholesale beef prices declined.
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.
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.
Adding value and capturing that value (making money) versus adding value and losing value (losing money) is largely a function of your break-even price.