Latest News From Packer

In a letter to Ag Sec. Tom Vilsack, the North American Meat Institute asks the administration to stop ignoring "fundamental principles of supply and demand" and acknowledge industry structure is not causing inflation.

The U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (USRSB) launched additional sustainability modules for companies within the U.S. packer and processor sector.

An overnight fire at the JBS beef facility and a temporary computer glitch at Tyson's Dakota City facility disrupted beef packing on Monday sending futures prices sharply lower.

Firefighters responded to a fire at the Grand Island, Neb., JBS beef facility on Sunday night.

Negotiated cash trade of fed cattle was limited in both the South and the North last week, and steady to softer prices was the result.

In the haste to go after packers in order to gain producer trust, the government may be using consumer price inflation as a means for greater leverage against packers, suggests John Nalivka.

The fed cattle market in the South continued to inch higher last week. Now that we have the holiday behind us packers should have a greater need for cattle than what we have seen for the last several weeks.

Last week’s cash cattle trade was influenced by downtime at multiple packing plants due to mechanical and labor issues.

JBS says it seeks opportunities for acquisitions and expansion, but two U.S. senators are calling on the U.S. Treasury Secretary to open an investigation into the Brazilian meatpacker.

Cattle prices pushed higher with trade volumes also increasing. The market has been aided by the decline in committed cattle, helping independent feeders clean up their showlists.

Late week sales in the North topped the market but fed cattle were firm to higher across all regions. Wholesale beef prices surged more than $18 per cwt. higher for the week.

Calls for cattle market reforms could hinder alternative marketing agreements (AMA), a value-based marketing tool that has improved beef quality over a generation.

The company says it will also provide $200 to fully vaccinated frontline team members.

Voters rejected a proposed small beef processing facility slated for Worthington, South Dakota, in a referendum held last week.

Labor challenges for packers are particularly acute on Mondays, which have the lowest daily average slaughter in 2021. Carcass weights will rise seasonally the rest of the year but will remain lower year over year.

It was a busy week on Capitol Hill for the beef industry. NCBA’s Ethan Lane joined AgriTalk to sum up the events.

The hearing held on July 28 featured testimony from economists and covered the recent Black Swan events affecting the cattle industry.

The senator supports legislative action because of concerns that small producers are losing money on cattle due to being unable to spot market.

The “Beefing up Competition: Examining America’s Food Supply Chain” hearing will be livestreamed at 2:30 P.M. eastern.

Cash cattle traded steady, with cattle feeders in the South still needing a couple more weeks for good trade volume before they have any shot at being able to push the live market higher.

Sustainable Beef, LLC, will likely receive $1 million from the North Platte Quality Growth Fund. to be used to help pay for the estimated $10 million cost of architectural, engineering and planning.

Feedyard show lists are declining but the day that most lists get sold each week is still several weeks away. Packers have begun to take Saturdays off which will not speed the recovery from the backlog.

Just for fun, let's say the DOJ goes full 1911 and ‘Standard Oils’ the meat industry. The ‘Big 4’ become the ‘Midsize 22’. Then what? Janet Barnard offers insights.

As part of its Hometown Strong program, JBS USA says it will invest additional funds to work with local leaders to build new homes and establish revolving funds to stimulate housing construction.

A light volume of cattle traded last week as per usual ahead of a holiday-shortened week. Prices traded steady to slightly lower with packers more willing to accept lower-grading cattle.

Cattle trade was light in all regions this week with prices steady to higher. USDA's cattle on feed report put inventories up slightly with placements down 7% from last year, at the low-end of the pre-report estimates.

Cattlemen’s Heritage Beef Company announced plans Friday to construct a 1,500-head per day beef processing facility in Mills County, Iowa, south of the Omaha/Council Bluffs area. The plant will employ 750 workers.

The meatpacking industry will take center stage on Capitol Hill as members of the Senate Ag Committee hold a hearing designed to take a deep dive into the cattle markets amid accusations of price imbalances.

Packers were forced to push the market higher in their quest to find higher-grading cattle last week. High=grading cattle are becoming harder to find with each passing week.

Cattle trades continued in a familiar pattern last week with prices steady to somewhat firmer late week. Feeders keep working to clean up backlog cattle.

An unprecedented meeting held in May among major cattle industry representatives, typically at odds, has produced plans for change and calls for answers from U.S. lawmakers. Keep up with the latest on this page.

Senators Tester (D-MT), Grassley (R-IA), and Rounds (R-SD) have introduced legislation that would amend the Packers and Stockyards Act to establish the Office of the Special Investigator for Competition Matters.

JBS USA said it paid an $11 million ransom to cyber attackers that shut down operations in the U.S. and Australia last week. All plants were fully operational by June 3.

Gregory Bloom, CEO and owner of U.S. Protein, shares his perspectives on the cattle market based on experience as a cattle buyer, meat seller and working with chefs and restaurants.

JBS USA says it has invested $130 million to increase production capacities at two of its major beef processing facilities in Grand Island and Omaha, Neb., and announced annualized wage increases over the past year.

The fed cattle trade last week continued down the same path that we have seen for several weeks. The upcoming weather forecast of hot weather will not be helpful for the backed-up cattle supply.

JBS USA said Wednesday the “vast majority” of its processing plants were operational after a Memorial Day weekend cyberattack on its operations in North America and Australia.

The White House said Brazil's JBS SA has informed the U.S. government that a ransomware attack that disrupted meat production in North America and Australia originated from an organization likely based in Russia.

Argentina said on Monday it had temporarily shut down 12 beef exporters over "irregular" operations and had seized over 220 tonnes of meat as tensions over the government's meat export ban deepen.

Cash prices held mostly steady last week, which could be a sign packers are beginning to get through some of the committed cattle and be in the market to buy more cash cattle from independent cattle feeders.

JBS USA announced it has suffered an organized cyberattack that has affected servers supporting its IT systems in North America and Australia.

Beef prices are surging worldwide, taking meat off the menu in steak-loving Buenos Aires and spoiling summer barbecues in the United States as Chinese imports rise and the cost of feeding cattle soars.

The fallout continues from a ghost-cattle scheme as Rabo AgriFinance filed suit in federal court seeking to foreclose on Easterday family assets that have been in default for months.

Brazilian securities regulator CVM accused Marcos Molina, the chief executive of Brazilian meatpacker Marfrig Global Foods SA, of the "misuse of privileged information" involving Marfrig shares before a filing in 2018.

Fitch Ratings has affirmed the Rating Outlook of Tyson Foods, Inc. and the Hillshire Brands Co from negative to stable.

Packer needs for cattle appeared to be limited last week, yet prices paid in all regions held relatively steady with the previous week.

A Nebraska bill has been delayed that would have extended COVID-19 protections for meatpacking workers for another year.

More than 44,000 Tyson Foods employees have been vaccinated, the company reports. Tyson recently hosted League of United Latin American Citizens CEO Sindy Benavides to an on-site COVID-19 vaccination event.

Sen. John Thune and Rep. Dusty Johnson led a bicameral letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, urging the DOJ to move forward with its investigation into anticompetitive practices in the meatpacking industry.

Cattle feeders in the South region continued to see a lack of negotiated cash trade due to an abundance of market ready cattle.