Latest News From Packer

Beef packers show their willingness to rely on their captive supplies as they struggle to hold a lid on rising cattle prices. Tighter supplies in the coming weeks will force their hand.

Profit margins for cattle feeders increased as cash prices moved higher last week. Pork producers continue operating with negative margins.

USDA issued a proposed rulemaking on Monday that would effectively close the "Product of the U.S.A." loophole that has been in effect since the repeal of COOL in 2015.

The 2023 bull market entered March with modest gains for fed cattle and some impressive gains for feeder cattle and calves. The spring seasonal rally is likely to extend well into April.

Rising wholesale beef prices and declining packing plant utilization are two indicators to watch as the 2023 cattle markets unfold.

Packers grudgingly bid higher for the week in what was called a light to moderate trade. Cattle feeders were firm sellers as some passed on those higher bids late week.

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.

Cattle prices moved higher last week but cattle feeding margins remain modest. The supply-demand fundamentals are trending in favor of cattle feeders.

Packers waited as long as possible last week, grudgingly pushing the market higher with trades well into Friday’s happy hour and some even on the weekend.

Cattle feeders and packers were in a standoff most of the week with cash trading only moderate in all regions. Cattle feeders are in a good position as inventories and carcass weights declining.

Our favorite retired cowboy editor spent a few winter evenings reading the latest anti-beef ramblings. His review of "Raw Deal" is not likely to spur a spike in book sales, nor change many mindsets, we suppose...

Cattle feeders seem to start each week from behind as packers have utilized their captive supplies perfectly to maintain their margins.

Construction is expected to begin this year for Cattlemen's Heritage Beef Company, a 2,000-head per day beef processing facility south of the Omaha/Council Bluffs metropolitan area.

Negotiated cash cattle trade was slow to develop but finished the year strong with price advances in all regions.

Wholesale beef prices are running $20 per cwt. higher than the same week a year ago, with last week's blizzard one factor in the rally. But retail demand for a shrinking supply will support prices into the New Year.

A handful of highly recognizable fast-food restaurant chains have filed suit in Florida against the nation’s four largest beef packers, alleging price fixing.

Packer margins remain in the red even as wholesale beef prices rallied $9 per cwt. and cash cattle prices were near steady.

In one of the largest modern-day cattle schemes, Cody Easterday’s story continues after being granted a two-week prison self-report deadline extension.

Beef packers saw per head losses nearly double last week as wholesale beef prices tumbled $7 per cwt. lower. Pork processors are also found negative margins and producer margins remain short of breakeven.

More than 90,000 U.S. hourly employees of Tyson Foods will receive year-end bonuses that range from $300 to $700.

After realizing historic profits the past couple of years, beef packers now find themselves in a similar position as their cattle feeding suppliers experienced - shrinking margins and reduced leverage.

Cash cattle trades a week following the Thanksgiving rally saw steady prices, but the steadily declining supply of harvest-ready cattle will continue to shift bargaining leverage to producers.

The pendulum continues swinging toward cattle feeders as cash prices jumped $3 last week and left packers with their largest negative margins in nearly six years.

How do cattle producers get better? That happens with less social media and more spreadsheets; less pandering and more professionalism; less Matrix and more Moneyball.

Packers were forced to raise bids to acquire inventory during the holiday-shortened week, extending the autumn price rally.

USDA extends the comment period for the proposed rule titled, “Inclusive Competition and Market Integrity Under the Packers and Stockyards Act.”

Bullish trends in CME futures last week gave cattle feeders leverage to seek higher bids as last week progressed. Packers continue to lose leverage as the fall rally progresses.

What number of beef processors would resolve producer concerns about “lack of competition?” Should meat processing be different than other industries?

Profit margins for both cattle and hog finishing operations saw modest gains last week but also carry significantly higher feed costs than a year ago.

Packers push harvest pace higher and continue to seek higher grading cattle as they look to keep the holiday rib pipeline full.

The Department of Labor asked a federal court to issue a temporary restraining order against Packers Sanitation Services Inc. to stop illegally employing minor-aged workers while DOL continues its investigation.

Packer desires to purchase higher quality cattle gave northern feeders the advantage last week with the North-South spread at $2 to $3.

The $7.2 million facility located at the University of Nebraska’s (UNL) Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center near Mead, Neb. has officially broken ground.

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) applauds USDA's investments the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) aiming to increase options for producers and promote competition.

The nation’s fifth-largest beef packer will receive a grant from USDA that will help add 700 head to its daily harvest capacity.

Cattle feeders refused some early bids last week and were rewarded with higher prices in all areas, resulting in another opportunity to clean up show lists.

Cattle feeders held out for higher money last week and the result was the highest cash prices in seven years. The week’s harvest of 673,000 head was the third largest of the year.

Brazilian meatpackers continue to procure cattle from inside the country’s protected areas more than a decade after zero-deforestation cattle agreements were signed to reform the sector.

Beef packers would like to own more cattle but they’re afraid showing their hand will only raise asking prices. Moderate trade occurred in all regions at slightly higher money.

Sustainable Beef LLC, the rancher-driven beef processing facility proposed for North Platte, Neb., is one step closer to reality after an official ground-breaking ceremony.

The biggest U.S. meat company by sales said on Wednesday it will relocate all corporate employees from offices in Chicago and Downers Grove, Ill. and Dakota Dunes, S.D., to its headquarters in Springdale, Ark.

The biggest U.S. meat company by sales said on Wednesday it will relocate all corporate employees from offices in Chicago and Downers Grove, Ill. and Dakota Dunes, S.D., to its headquarters in Springdale, Ark.

Market leverage has shifted dramatically toward ranchers and cattle feeders over the past two months. The combination of rising cattle prices and declining wholesale beef prices has eroded historic packer margins.

Proposed new beef processors face multiple challenges in launching their new ventures, but Sustainable Beef, LLC and Producer Owned Beef believe their new models make them attractive to both cowboys and retailers.

Western Legacy Development Corp. continues to search for a site to build its $1.1 billion beef processing facility after being rejected by two cities in the northern plains.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing regulations to prevent meat companies from retaliating against livestock and poultry farmers who speak out on practices such as price-fixing.

Cheyenne, Wyoming's mayor fueled speculation about possible relocation of the Western Legacy beef packing project with his comments in a weekly column in Wyoming media.

The combination of tightening supplies and packers seeking higher-grading inventory helped push cash prices a little higher last week.

Is Walmart's investment in Sustainable Beef a big deal? If Walmart were serious about beef, they would be buying or building their own kill plant, Barnard says, unless it's a precursor to a bigger move.

Once operational in late 2024, American Foods Group's new beef facility in Warren County, Missouri, will process 2,400 head of cattle per day.