Fed Cattle
January nears its end with the fed cattle market still searching for the legs to carry it higher. Early month prices have proven to be a tease and the short-term outlook doesn’t appear bullish.
AFBF is the only producer trade association in D.C. that supports some form of mandatory minimum cash fed cattle trade in order to increase price discovery. But it may not necessarily be the silver bullet many want.
The week before a holiday is not usually ideal for pushing the market higher, but last week proved to be just the right combination to support a rally.
Cattle prices are higher now compared to last year and are expected to continue improving in 2022. Live and Feeder futures have priced in considerable optimism for 2022.
The highest fed cattle prices since the spring of 2019 has feedyard managers searching for additional gains this week. Calf prices at auction last week traded uneven.
Last week cattle feeders found themselves in an environment they had not seen since August of 2019. Four packers were in the market competing for the cattle that were available on the list.
The fourth-quarter seasonal price pattern over five years has seen a 12% increase from September through year end. Weekly carryover must shrink before packers see a supply incentive to move bids significantly higher.
Market-ready cattle numbers decline with little affect on prices, signaling supplies remain ample compared to slaughter capacity. Cattle on feed numbers were lower versus year-ago for the first time in 16 months.
Cash fed cattle prices were called mostly steady while packer demand was called moderate. Feeder cattle and calf markets traded higher.
Cattle trade was light in all regions this week with prices steady to higher. USDA’s cattle on feed report put inventories up slightly with placements down 7% from last year, at the low-end of the pre-report estimates.
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.”