Latest News From Marketing-Communications

Time is running out for the cattle market to make a run this year.

The amount of beef in cold storage at the end of October was up 34% from a year ago.  

You might get fewer dollars for your calves next year, but 2016 will still offer good profits for most ranchers.

Growing the beef cattle herd in the state of Tennessee and across the nation has taken front and center stage.  

Calculated breakeven prices for cattle shipped from feedyards last week were $170.12, according to Sterling Marketing, Vale, Ore.

Trade for cattle was much lower for Thanksgiving week than last year, but slightly up from the previous week.  

Cattle in the U.S. are now the fattest they’ve ever been, signaling an end to the seven-year run of record beef prices just as losses begin to mount for American feedlot owners.

There are very few positives if any at all with regard to cattle and beef markets. 

The adjectives have all been used to describe the despair that is cattle feeding. Last week was simply worse than the week before, which was a train wreck. 

Although the market will find support in sale barns, the overall price outlook for multiple cattle sectors isn’t so rosy, says DuWayne Bosse of Bolt Marketing.

USDA's November Cattle on Feed report said the number of cattle on feed was 2.1 % higher at the start of November than a year ago.

As risk managers, cattle producers lag behind corn growers. That is, if a show of hands by producers means anything.

U.S. beef exports endured the most difficult month in some time in September, according to statistics released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), contractor to the beef checkoff.

Beef imports have been attractive because of high domestic beef prices and the strong value of the dollar.

After months of extreme losses, feedyard managers entered November with ideas the worst was behind them. 

Cattle prices continue to be highly variable.   

There is still upside in a down cattle market.

Last week erased the modest gains cattle feeders saw the past few weeks and tacked on more heavy losses. 

U.S. beef exports were down 24.9% in September compared to a year earlier with decreases in exports to all of our major foreign customers. 

The adage that the cure for high prices is "High Prices" is evident this year in beef markets.

Another small rally in cash fed cattle markets provided another modest improvement in feeder margins, but closeouts remain $24.66 per cwt. short of break even. 

Fed cattle traded $1 to $2 higher than a week ago.

It certainly appears that a large number of heifers are being held on farms for breeding.  

The adage that the cure for high prices is high prices is evident this year in beef markets.

Last week’s $2.50 rally in the cash market was another step in the right direction, but closeouts remain $26.46 per cwt. short of break even.

Uncertainty is rampant in the fed cattle market.

The October USDA Cattle on Feed report said there were 2.3% more cattle on feed on October 1 than a year ago. 

It’s been a wild ride in the cattle market since live cattle futures plunged off record prices earlier this year, but profitability could still be in the cards in the near term for cattle producers. 

Most analysts and producers would say that feeder cattle and finished cattle have been somewhat undervalued the past several weeks which is likely the leading factor of prices making a small resurgence. 

Last week’s $8.50 rally in the cash market was sorely needed, but closeouts remain $29.65 per cwt. short of break even.

The choice retail beef price declined for the fourth consecutive month to $6.23 per pound in September.   

It’s been a rough fall for cattle feeders, but cowboys found some signs last week that suggest the worst may be behind them.

Unexpected and unpredictable events have plagued the beef industry for the last 15 years.  

Cattle futures jumped up almost $9, a sign that the fed cattle market could stop sliding.

Beef  production looks to continue rising, while prices slide.

Just how low will calf prices go?

Cattle feeders hope the cash market found its bottom last week. 

Retailers are not heavily promoting beef at this time and will likely put more of their efforts into turkey and ham the next several weeks.

Fed cattle prices were sharply lower this week on good volume.

Fundamentally there was a market imbalance as truck-loads of red ink left the feedyards. 

Get to know the basics of selling freezer beef.

Reason and logic in a normal year would indicate prices are near the bottom, but the market could continue to act contra-seasonally and dip further.

With cash fed cattle prices tumbling $6 per cwt. last week an increase in cattle feeding losses was certain. 

The September USDA Cold Storage report said there is a lot of frozen meat in the country.

Herd rebuilding limits exports, but will pay off in years to come.

Unfortunately, yes. 

​Market prices for fed cattle in 2015 are headed in exactly the opposite direction of where they were headed the fall of 2014. 

History provides a guide to how low markets may tumble.

The September cattle on feed report said there were 2.7% more cattle on feed September 1 than a year ago.  

Cattle feeding margins took another hit last week as softer prices added another $35 to closeout losses.