Latest News From Marketing-Communications

The Fed Cattle Exchange is helping the beef industry by delivering another data point for price discovery through an online live cattle auction.

Retail beef prices have come up in the past month, but they are down from last year.

Normally when profit margins decline $50-plus per head there’s no rejoicing. 

Only minor changes are projected by the latest WASDE report for beef production and cattle prices.

Corn and steer prices go hand-in-hand.

Cattle feeders turned a tidy profit for the second consecutive week.

Cattle prices have climbed to their highest point since August.

Commodities dropped 40-60% in value the past few years. How much longer will the slide continue? 

Cattle feeders earned a small profit on cattle sold last week, the first positive closeouts in months.

What lies ahead for the cattle industry?

The red ink has started to slow down for feedlots and cattle prices have rallied lately, giving beef producers something to be thankful for.

Losses continue to mount for feedlots.

Texas ranchers have 600,000 more cattle and calves than they did two years ago, according to the Texas Cattle Feeders Association. Packing plants have less competition and plenty of cattle to choose from, so they've dropped the amount they're willing to pay for wholesale cattle.

USDA has increased its forecast of U.S. beef production. 

It’s no secret there’s too much meat on the market. Cattle have bounced from the previous lows is because of a tight supply for the next 30 days.

Feedyard margins saw only slight improvement last week as direct trade prices held steady.

Bullish fund holdings signal ‘change in sentiment’ for prices.

Cattle prices went from record highs to record lows in just two years, and it has cattle producers searching for answers. 

The late October rally in cattle markets appears to have gained momentum this week.

Last week's market rally helped feedyards erase much of their red ink, but not all.

Calling losses of $193 per head an improvement may be painful, but it’s accurate.

CME cattle futures followed Thursday’s limit up trading with solid gains again in action Friday. The nearby October contract closed up $2.12 at $101.15.

Cattle prices have fallen and so are profits.

Given market fundamentals of supply and demand, it would appear cattle are being undervalued in today’s market. 

Feedyard margins dropped another $20 last week to total an average loss of $90 per head, according to the Sterling Beef Profit Tracker. 

“The market absorbing all of this other meat in the pipeline is going to be a tough task. Given that there is so much cheap pork and chicken out there, there remains some sticker shock at the retail level versus beef," according to Tim Hackbarth of Zaner Ag Hedge.

Feedyard margins declined $28 per head last week to total an average loss of $70 per head, according to the Sterling Beef Profit Tracker. 

Quickest buildup in 30 years ‘snuck up’ on beef industry.

Animal feed and protein unit was biggest profit contributor.

Department of Agriculture to add Fed Cattle Exchange data.

Feedyard margins improved last week despite a $3 per cwt. decline in cash cattle prices. 

This month’s numbers continue the trend of increasing heavy placements, with cattle larger than 800 pounds seeing a 21.2% year-over-year increase while cattle less than 600 pounds saw an 8.9% year-over-year decrease in placements.

Things are changing in packing plants as fewer cattle are processed in less plants.

Last week’s $4-plus rally in cash fed cattle prices cut average feedyard losses in half, leaving the red ink totaling $90 on every animal shipped.

The live cattle market should begin creeping up the next several weeks as it searches for its fall high which precedes the holiday season. 

The average retail price of choice beef was $5.915 cents per pound during August. That is down 17.5 cents from the month before, down 41.3 cents from a year ago, and the lowest monthly average since May 2014.

Increased U.S. beef production and lower cattle prices are reversing the trend of recent years, where beef exports decreased as record high prices rationed demand in both domestic and international markets.

With cash cattle prices tumbling another $4 per cwt lower, cattle feeding margins fell accordingly.

Herd expansion is expected to peak in 2017.

It is abnormal for live cattle prices to continue finding new summer lows this late in the summer. 

U.S. beef exports totaled 216 million pounds in July, up 8% from a year ago.

Cattle prices continue to plummet, falling below the dollar mark on Tuesday.

U.S. beef production is expected to increase 4 to 4.5 percent in 2016.  This follows annual decreases of 5.7 percent in 2014 and 2.3 percent in 2015.  

A decline of $5 per cwt in cash fed cattle prices pushed cattle feeding margins $60 per head lower, leaving losses at $120 per head, according to the Sterling Beef Profit Tracker. 

There could be a little help from the start of football season as consumers grill for tailgating activities, but beef generally hits a time of reduced interest during the fall months. 

Calculations by the Livestock Marketing Information Center put cattle feeding losses at $152 per head for closeouts during July. That made July losses the biggest for any month since February.

High feedlot placements in the spring might mean more beef in cold storage and lower cattle prices.

Historically feeder cattle prices have been determined by several factors, with corn price and fed-cattle price having the greatest impact. 

Lower finished cattle prices continue to produce red ink for most cattle feeders which continues to drain equity.