Profit Tracker
Cattle feeders and beef packers both printed closeouts with red ink last week, slight advantage packers. Pork producers also operated underwater but pork packers saw improving margins.
Cattle feeding margins fell deeper into the red last week while packer margins improved modestly. Pork producer margins erode further underwater.
Cash cattle traders were jolted by a steep price decline last week that erased much of the profit on cattle sent to market. Pork margins remain red.
Cattle feeding margins decline even as fed steers trade steady to higher for the week. Packer margins erode on weaker wholesale beef prices. Pork producer margins improve but remain underwater.
Projected breakevens for cattle placed on feed have declined $10 per cwt. over the past month. Pork producer margins are declining even with feed costs 23% lower than last year.
Cattle feeding margins saw a $30 per head improvement with higher cash prices and lower feed costs. Pork producer margins decline as prices soften.
Cattle feeding margins improved modestly last week after cash bids rallied nearly $2 higher. Pork producer margins remain in red.
Cattle feeding margins remain solidly profitable and supported by significant declines in feed costs. Pork producer margins erode.
Higher cattle prices and declining wholesale beef prices pushed packer margins underwater last week. Pork breakevens fell to their lowest point in two years.
Reducing slaughter and putting less beef tonnage on the market has helped beef packers regain some profit margin. Pork producer margins decline.
After six weeks running in the red, beef packers jumped back into positive margins after last week’s wholesale beef rally. Pork producers remain profitable.
The spread between cattle feeding margins and packer margins narrowed modestly last week. Pork producers remain profitable.
Cattle feeders continue to gain market leverage as packers see pressure from declining wholesale beef prices. Pork producer margins remain solidly in the black.
Packers have reduced harvest and employed other tactics in an effort to regain positive margins. Pork producer margins took another step higher as lean carcass prices advance.
The spread between cattle feeding margins and beef packer margins has now reached $500 per head as packing losses increase. Pork producer margins are the highest of the year.
There’s a $400 spread between cattle feeding margins and packer margins – now in the cowboy’s favor. Cattle harvest is lower as packers reduce hours, a signal their margins are in the red.
Profit margins for cattle sold for slaughter last week declined $55 per head, according to the Sterling Profit Tracker.
Cattle feeding margins declined by $80 per head last week as cash prices slumped $1 to $2 per cwt.
Cattle feeding margins improved $16 per head last week as cash prices inched higher less than $1 per cwt.
Cattle feeding margins improved $43 per head last week as cash prices gained nearly $2 per cwt.
Cattle feeding margins are rapidly declining as cash cattle prices retreat from spring highs
Cattle feeding margins jumped nearly $17 per head higher last week to average $196.50.
Profit margins for both beef and pork producers moved slightly higher last week, ending a month-long downward trend. Both sectors remain solidly profitable.
Cattle feeding margins declined $22 per head last week, but remain more than $280.
Cattle feeders saw another significant bump in profit margins last week.
The increase in margins was the third consecutive weekly gain, leaving average profits above $230 per head.
The pain eased somewhat for cattle feeders last week, but losses remain more than $170 per head.
It was another ugly week for cattle feeders.
Beef packers put away the red ink last week as they turned modest profits on every animal processed. Feedyard margins, however, slipped a little further away from positive.
Cash cattle prices dipped nearly 50 cents per cwt.