Hogs - General
Cattle feeding margins remain favorable despite higher costs. Tighter supplies of market-ready cattle become a growing challenge for packers as their margins are squeezed.
Cash cattle and wholesale beef prices moved higher last week, increasing profit margins for both cattle feeders and beef packers. Pork producers saw modest per head losses.
Rising wholesale beef prices and declining packing plant utilization are two indicators to watch as the 2023 cattle markets unfold.
Average cattle feeding margins increased last week as negotiated cash prices set new record highs.
As cash cattle prices have been on an upward trajectory in 2023, packer margins have correspondingly moved lower. Sterling Marketing’s weekly estimates are printing packer margins red for the first time in six years.
Cattle and hog harvest rates were lower last week with higher cash prices paid to farmers and feeders. Margins for both beef and pork packers are trending lower.
Profit margins for cattle feeders increased as cash prices moved higher last week. Pork producers continue operating with negative margins.
Momentum continues to shift in cattle markets with strong feeding margins and tightening supplies. Pork producers continue to struggle with negative margins.
Cattle feeders have experienced their best month in years with prices reaching record levels. Hog producers, however, are struggling to keep margins out of the red.
Cattle feeders sold more cattle last week than any week this year and at the highest price in history. Pork producers saw modest profits.
Cattle feeders saw their margins shrink $70 per head last week as a modest increase in market-ready supplies led packers to sharply cut their negotiated purchases.
If a seasonal price decline develops as anticipated, this year’s starting point for cattle feeders is the best in a decade. Pork producers notch their second week of modest profits.
Cash cattle prices declined last week for the first time in a month, but wholesale prices moved higher for the fifth consecutive week. Prices for yearling feeder cattle placed on feed topped $200 per cwt.
Grilling season set to kick off as both packers and cattle feeders operating with profitable margins. Pork producers continue the struggle to reach profitability.
Packers have navigated through the tightest supplies of the season while maintaining profitability. Now, supplies are anticipated to increase seasonally which could swing more leverage in their favor.
Cattle feeders saw average profits of more than $300 per head last week while pork producers found average losses of about $13 per head.
Cattle feeders experience largest average profits in seven years as packer margins dip into the red.
Profit margins for cattle feeders and packers continue pacing in opposite directions as shrinking supplies of market-ready cattle drive negotiated cash prices higher.
Wholesale beef prices continue to support packer margins even as negotiated cash cattle trade well-above the five-year average. Pork producers enjoy a market rally that has lifted margins out of the red.
While the risk of malaria infection remains low, the CDC says Anopheles mosquito vectors, found throughout many regions of the country, are capable of transmitting malaria if they feed on a malaria-infected person.
Iowa State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) is set to revolutionize molecular diagnostic testing with the introduction of a cutting-edge machine—the “SmartChip.”
While many tools for managing risk exist for livestock producers today, livestock risk protection (LRP) might be an option for producers to consider no matter how large or small the operation.
The Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor is a new survey of nearly 50 economists. Most ag economists agree the next 12 months could produce more financial pressure for agriculture, but their views vary depending on commodity.
Three California-based cultivated meat companies have received approval from USDA to begin producing and marketing lab-grown chicken.
The Packers and Stockyards Act changes may be coming, as the Fiscal Year 2024 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Bill has been sent to the full House for consideration.
Interfering with the shipping of livestock may soon be a felony offense in the state of Missouri, with the inclusion of Rep. Brenda Shields’ bill as part of a larger public safety package.
Meat demand peaked last year, but economists say domestic demand is still stronger than pre-pandemic levels, and with more grilling this Memorial Day weekend, it could help boost domestic meat demand.
Starting on June 11, over-the-counter livestock antibiotics will no longer be available through traditional retail channels.
The Protein PACT Academic Advisory Council is formed to advise on research priorities and the latest evidence related to meat production and consumption.
The Meat Institute partners with the Information Technology-Information Sharing and Analysis Center to enhance cybersecurity for the meat and poultry industry.