Feedyard
Feedlot placement weight is related to fed cattle finished weight. For cattle in the typical range of placement weights, a one-pound increase in placement weight results in 0.5 pounds of additional finished weight.
Cash fed cattle began trading early last week, $1 higher than the week before. Packer margins continue to widen with each passing week, and feedyard showlists called manageable.
Feeders in the South hurried to sell cattle on a Tuesday-steady bid. The early trade made it easy on the Packers who seemed more than willing to take on the inventory at steady money.
The Choice beef cutout price has rallied nearly $30 in November while cash fed cattle prices have gained just $5. As a result, packer margins have increased while feeding margins struggle to remain above water.
The Engler Foundation gift to West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas, of $1 million a year is just a fraction of the long-lasting and far-reaching amount Paul Engler, chairman of Cactus Feeders, Inc., has provided.
Profitability for both cow-calf and feedyards is projected to improve in 2021, Sterling Marketing president John Nalivka told AgriTalk host Chip Flory.
Packers aggressively sought inventory last week and cash fed cattle prices surged $2 per cwt., to instances of $3 higher for the week. Large trade volumes were reported in the North at $107 to $108 per cwt.
Large volumes of cattle traded in all regions at $2 higher prices ahead of Friday’s cattle on feed report which counted 4% more inventory than last September.
Agri Beef, a cattle feeding, farming and beef processing company in business since 1968, announced it plans to open a new beef packing facility in Jerome, Idaho.
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.
One impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the beef industry has been an increase in the number of carcasses grading Prime, but the shuttering of high-end restaurants that sell Prime beef, however, softened demand.
Montana Senator John Tester and Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley claim American farmers and ranchers face “a grave crisis, and it could hurt every family who buys meat at the grocery store.”
This first full-week following the Memorial Day holiday delivers signals cattle markets may see a second wave of downward pressure, the after-shocks of the COVID-19 earthquake.
Missouri lawmakers told a hearing in Jefferson City last week they hope to form a working group to explore the idea of helping secure a beef harvest and processing facility in the state.
Barring a major setback, it appears that America’s beef markets are moving past the worst of the COVID-19 disruptions that have caused upheaval in recent weeks.
“A lot of folks think we should mandate with a law—a federal LAW, mind you, because those always work out so well—that more feeders sell in the cash market. But tying feeders’ hands like this isn’t the answer.”
Industry analysts say there is a 1 million head backlog of cattle waiting for a harvest slot, and working through those heavy front-end supplies could take months.
Harvest numbers continue to improve as more plants ramp up leading to a steep decline for wholesale beef prices. Feeder cattle saw moderate demand and higher prices.
The South saw another wide trading range last week as prices ranged from $95 to $115 per cwt. for cash fed cattle with just two packers active in the negotiated cash market.
Modeled after a set-aside program used in Canada after the BSE crisis in 2004, the Fed Cattle Set-Aside Program proposal would fund placing cattle on a maintenance diet for 75 days.
Light cash trade continued with a wide price range. Two of the major packers were active in the market, with one actively making an effort to support prices.
R-CALF USA has asked President Trump and House and Senate leaders to conduct a review the beef supply chain and consider “whether a physical and geographical restructuring of the meatpacking industry is required.”
USDA’s monthly cattle on feed report estimated March placements to be the lowest since the data series began in 1996.
Cargill’s High River, Alta., beef harvest facility has slowed to one shift beginning this week to prioritize the health and safety of employees, reducing harvest to about 1,500 head per day.
Dozens of workers at Tyson’s Pasco, WA, beef plant have tested positive for COVID-19, but the plant will remain open under heightened health and safety procedures.
JBS USA says its Greeley, Colo., beef plant will be closed through Tuesday for “deep cleaning” in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19 among its thousands of employees. Two employee deaths have been reported.
Another steep decline in both fed cattle and feeder cattle was reported last week. Negotiated cash fed cattle sales were the second smallest since mandatory price reporting began in 2001.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer are asking President Donald Trump to investigate possible irregularities in the cattle markets over the past several weeks.
Officials in Weld County , Colo., and Hall County, Neb., are monitoring cases of COVID-19 that are linked to JBS USA beef packing facilities.
Unprecedented volatility in fed cattle markets during March produced a strong increase in negotiated cash sales from feedlots to packers the final two weeks of the month.