As COVID-19 vaccination efforts expand and the economy begins showing signs of recovery, researchers are tabulating the impacts of the pandemic on the U.S. animal agriculture product market.
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.
USDA’s annual Cattle Inventory report released Friday estimated the total U.S. herd on Jan. 1, 2021, at 93.6 million head, about 200,000 head fewer than in 2020.
Cattle feeders were left on the sidelines as every other cattle/beef market segment saw a price rally. Futures markets set new highs, but cash cattle have not reached $112 for seven months.
Wendy's announces 15% increase in percentage of beef sourced through Progressive Beef-certified producers in 2020; on track to meet goal of at least 50% this year.
Packers were back to buying cattle for a full slaughter week, but their interest only seemed moderate to most feeders. Prices were mostly steady on moderate demand.
A two-year large-scale trial in Alberta, Canada has successfully demonstrated that a novel feed ingredient, developed by Royal DSM, can be included in commercial feedlot diets to reduce methane emissions by up to 80%.
