Fed Cattle
Unlike last year, there is no shortage of beef in the pipeline. Wholesale beef prices, however, continue a runaway spurred by unprecedented domestic and export demand.
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.
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.
Missouri Prime Beef Packers - a 500-head per day facility - is set to open later this month in Pleasant Hope, Missouri.
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%.
A fall rally in cash fed cattle markets has added $5 to $6 per cwt. over the past three weeks. Feeder cattle remain in moderate demand, but drought conditions across much of the Great Plains is affecting cattle markets.
Here are some ways to help manage stress in cattle during the summer and how to help their caregivers manage their own stress to enable them to be successful.
Cattle genetics have changed over the years, and one Kansas cattle feeder wants to make sure finishing practices have kept up.
Cash cattle traded higher again and all four major packers participated in last week’s trade, including Tyson for the Finney County, Kan., plant.
Packer market participation wasn’t as robust as it had been in earlier weeks, and packers have slowly added to their inventory ahead of the holidays.
Using implants correctly says Robbi Pritchard, longtime South Dakota State University ruminant nutritionist, “you can have all of the performance and all of the final product value you want.”
Beef cow slaughter in 2019 will be the highest relative to the overall cow herd since 2013, and suggests tighter supplies in 2020 and higher overall prices.
America’s four largest beef packers face another lawsuit claiming antitrust violations since 2015, this one filed by a California distributor seeking treble damages.
Cash fed cattle sold $1 to $2 higher, but yearling feeder cattle sold uneven at auction with steer and heifer calves trading $1 to $4 lower.
Friday’s USDA cattle on feed report pegged heifer numbers at 39.1 of feedlot inventories, the highest percentage in more than 18 years, and year-to-date heifer slaughter is up more than 7%.
Cattlemen sought relief from devastating cattle markets following the August fire at a Kansas packing plant.
“When ranchers and cattle feeders read the day’s news and reports, there needs to be a positive dialogue. We ought not squander the opportunity.”
From a seller’s perspective, the fed-cattle trade continues to improve, with last week’s numbers making it the third straight week of higher prices since September 9th.
The upward trend in cash cattle could continue through the holiday rib demand, with Choice product being in short supply.
The September Cattle on Feed report highlights some regional differences in the current feedlot situation among the four largest feeding states.
U.S. cattle on feed Sept. 1, 2019, were estimated at 11.0 million head, down 1% from a year ago, USDA reports.
Stocker and feeder cattle prices were $2 to $7 higher at auction across the nation. Abundant forage conditions has left ranchers in no hurry to sell cattle.
Cattle markets continued under pressure in the first full week of trading following the Labor Day holiday.
A fire Friday afternoon at Cargill’s Doge City, Kan., facility was quickly extinguished and damage to the plant was minimal and no impact on operations is expected.
The rapid growth in Chinese beef imports has dramatically altered global beef flows with several countries now exporting a significant share of total exports to China.
The $1 threshold seemed to be a sticking point for cattle feeders last week, and many held firm on Friday which could prove to give cash prices a needed boost.
Cash fed cattle traded at lower prices ahead of the Labor Day weekend, while steer and heifer calves sold steady to higher at auctions.