Feedyard
Negotiated cash fed cattle continued to trade at softer prices last week while feeder cattle were called steady to higher at auctions.
Cattle feeders knew selling ahead of a short holiday week would create additional challenges for cash cattle prices and the ability to move cattle. Unfortunately, trade volumes met low expectations.
The downward spiral in the cash cattle trade is ongoing as the number of market-ready cattle continues to grow. Showlists are already overburdened to date, and market-ready cattle add to the list weekly.
As cattle feeders hold on to fat cattle until the opportunity to be harvested arises, it is important to prepare for periods of extreme heat by developing a heat stress management plan.
Negotiated fed cattle trades volumes were higher with the 5-area near 95,000 head. Despite the active cash trade, fed cattle prices traded $5 to $6 lower at $98 to $105, with the bulk of trades at $100 to $102.
Retail grocery will transition from limited beef supplies in recent weeks to ample supplies at the same time food service demand is slowly building this fall.
Cattle prices held firm as slaughter numbers increased and wholesale beef prices declined, though narrowing packer margins will place added pressure on markets in the weeks ahead.
Cash prices are steady for now, but Tyson turned down some cattle last week that they thought are now too big, which is a huge concern other feeders may encounter in the near future.
The feedlot industry will spend much of the summer working through the backlog of fed cattle but the hole from March and April feedlot placements should provide a marketing window to catch up by this fall if not before.
Global beef trade is dynamic and trade levels rise and fall based on factors such as changes in currency valuation, areas of drought and global demand.
Cash cattle prices traded higher last week, and for the first time in several weeks most of the major beef packing plants should be up and running this week, though not full-throttle.
Nebraska Cattlemen board amended existing policy to strengthen standing language by mandating packers to purchase a minimum of 50% of their weekly slaughter in the negotiated market.
Some operational changes made by the packing and processing centers are likely to remain after the COVID-19 pandemic is over, leaving some higher costs in the supply-chain.
Blue Grass Stockyards and Top Dollar Angus will collaborate around a shared vision to significantly expand the number of Top Dollar Angus verified cattle east of the Mississippi River.
First-of-its-kind report from Farm Journal’s Trust In Food initiative and The Sustainability Consortium explores the complex relationship among farmers, their operation’s production data and conservation.
The cattle industry sees a glimmer of hope in last week’s harvest data, with estimated slaughter at 452,000 head, down 32.2 percent year-over-year, but up 6.4 percent from the prior week.
Boxed beef cutout values continue to perform like the early days of Bitcoin trading, with Choice advancing $84 per cwt. since last Friday.
In a letter to NCBA officers, agricultural economist Stephen R. Koontz says his work is taken out of context when used as a support for mandating beef packers to purchase at least 30% of their cattle on a cash basis.
The closure of 90% of American meat plants over the last 50 years isn’t due to a lack of knowledge or a failure to reinvest in facilities – it’s due to decades of lax antitrust enforcement, says Joaquin Contente.
Cattle are adaptable to a variety of feeding systems and programs, and their growth can be programmed in a very predictable way through changing the net energy of the ration or using “programmed feeding.”
For technology to have value, it must be predictive in both the sick and healthy to minimize treating healthy calves and find those sick calves early.
The cattle industry continues to struggle getting cattle out of feedyards and into harvest facilities, leading to another week of limited trade.
The reduced number of cattle harvested wasn’t a surprise with the issues that all packers have faced in the past few weeks with COVID-19.
Plant closings and slowdowns are major symptoms of the meat and poultry industries’ disruption due to COVID-19 and product distribution and livestock production are also critical to a smoothly running supply chain.
Vaccines can cost more than $3.00 per dose, and if not stored properly they can be rendered ineffective. Producers cannot afford to overlook the importance of how they store vaccines and handle them prior to injection.
Cattle feeders experienced a week of light participation from packers as the impact of COVID-19 begins to hamper beef production facilities.
Zoetis announces the acquisition of Performance Livestock Analytics to enhance its animal health solutions across the continuum of care for beef producers.
Cash cattle prices were under pressure as packer demand was soft in both the North and South last week. Numbers of ready cattle will grow in the coming weeks.
Can prices gained in last week’s fed cattle rally be maintained? There is some concern that the lack of cattle moving in the cash trade is starting to back cattle up and hurt hard-earned gains.
COVID-19 has fundamentally changed consumer behavior and the U.S. economy. The effects are unprecedented and it is difficult to determine how long the impact will last.