Feedyard
Claiming Easterday Ranches conducted a “fire sale” of one of its feedlots just days before filing for bankruptcy, Tyson Foods asks a U.S. Bankruptcy Court to appoint a trustee to take control of the Easterday estate.
New research shows Enogen corn for feed, fed to cattle as grain or silage, helps convert starch to sugar more efficiently, resulting in more readily available energy for livestock, thus providing environmental benefits.
Cash cattle markets continued its painfully slow climb higher last week, and most feeder anticipated the gain would be faster. Feedyard costs are on the rise, and any gains are most welcome.
The cattle on feed inventory on Jan. 1 (14.71 million head) is a record 57.3% of the feeder cattle supply. This means there are less than two head of feeder cattle available outside feedlots for every animal on feed.
Cattle producers Hugh Sanburg, Norman Voyles, Jr. and Jimmy Taylor are the new leaders of the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion & Research Board, responsible for guiding the national Beef Checkoff throughout 2021.
While cattle traded higher for the second consecutive week, and the highest since last May, the action was frustrating for feeders who see fundamentals that suggest much higher prices.
Regulatory activity may be the single greatest threat to U.S. food production as it impacts the entire supply chain from the producer to the consumer. It appears U.S. regulatory activity is increasing.
Cattle feeders showed they have the resolve to fight for higher bids during last week’s cash cattle trade. The market rallied $3 as the futures market continues to suggest better days ahead.
Cash cattle traded mostly $3 higher on the week, despite light volumes and varied interest from packers. April live cattle futures posted a key bearish reversal, but closed lower for the week.
Claiming losses of “more than $200 million” in connection with “200,000 cattle that did not exist,” Tyson asks for a court-appointed receiver to takeover Easterday Ranches in Washington state.
On-feed numbers indicate that packers could be running low on committed cattle, which should force some packers back into the cash market in the coming weeks.
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.
Cargill announced it will temporarily idle two of its protein processing facilities for scheduled maintenance. The idling of the facilities is unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As agriculture moves towards more sustainable solutions and ingredients, Alltech E-CO2 has developed the Feeds EA™ model to help feed manufacturers and producers measure and lower the carbon footprint of their feed.
The combination approvals allow Optigrid 45 to be used with other feed additives commonly fed to feedlot cattle, including monensin, tylosin and melengestrol.
The over-supply of cattle combined with a lack of interest from packers pushed the cash cattle market lower last week.
Frank Mitloehner, professor and air quality specialist at UC-Davis is the keynote speaker at the virtual 2021 Driftless Region Beef Conference set for Jan. 26 to 28.
The beef industry reacts to high feed prices differently than other species as the ruminant biology of cattle means less grain will be used by changing how cattle are produced more than by changing production levels.
Cash cattle prices slipped lower throughout the week as packer demand was called moderate. Grain markets posted a significant rally on the heels of USDA’s report on Tuesday.
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.
Even as last week’s prices were steady, it should be noted packers have been buying cattle for several weeks out, which is not behavior that would suggest packers feel that the market is going to be softer.
Distillers grains are unique in that the price of this byproduct of ethanol production is usually priced relative to the corn market. However, distillers grains prices have increased in line with protein markets.
U.S. beef trade is stabilizing as the ripple effects of the initial COVID-19 disruptions continue to fade. The latest beef trade data for November shows that monthly exports were up 13.2 percent year-over-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.
Beef producers should look for ways to inspire consumer confidence in beef products, and that includes management strategies such as proper vaccine administration.
U.S. CattleTrace, a not-for-profit that securely maintains and manages data collected as part of disease traceability, announced the release of its model for membership.
Numerous factors are in place that will shape cattle markets for at least the first few months of 2021. The COVID pandemic will continue to limit food service and restaurant demand for beef.
Cattle feeders found higher prices as 2020 came to a close, but their ability to push the market higher may hinge on how Live Cattle futures perform in the first weeks of the New Year.
Cattle feeders gained enough leverage to push negotiated cash cattle prices higher during both holiday weeks as 2020 drew to a close. Supplies of fed cattle will tick lower during the first quarter of 2021.
All packers were active players in all regions in the days leading up to the Christmas weekend and prices rallied $2 per cwt. accordingly. Feeders reported good clean-up throughout the region.