Marketing

Historically scarce cattle supplies helped cattle markets find some footing over the past month. For perspective, feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity placed 1.6 million head in August, which was 163,000 head fewer (-9.2%) year over year and the fewest for the month since the data series began in ...

The price at an auction market is the market's estimate of what a calf is worth that day, based on the information buyers can see and trust. There is very little indication of the calf's future potential for growth, feed efficiency, or carcass value. Calves sired by proven sires may have ...

There is lots of speculation on both sides of the border about what to expect with the resumption of cattle trade between the U.S. and Mexico. How many cattle? What type of cattle? How fast? There are many questions about if and how much the world has changed since the border closed ...

U.S. agricultural trade has faced a lot of headwinds in recent years. Events such as the global pandemic, international military conflicts, increased competition, a slowing global economy, domestic weather events, a 75 year low in cattle inventory, slumping crop prices, high input prices, and a relatively strong dollar have adversely ...

Fed cattle slaughter ran 8.6 percent below last year through June but fed beef production fell only 5.4 percent. The difference is carcass weight. Steer dressed weights opened 2026 near 985 pounds and, through mid-July, had eased only to about 962. The seasonal decline is expected, but the overall level ...

Cattle cycle update The July Cattle report pegged the total U.S. cattle inventory as essentially unchanged from last year, up a scant 0.2 percent (Table 1). The beef cow herd was down 0.7 percent, indicating that the herd inventory has not yet stabilized. However, the beef replacement heifer inventory was up 2.7 ...

Supply and demand fundamentals fueling the cattle market’s lengthy bull run remain largely unchanged, but prices took a decidedly negative turn heading into July.  Wholesale beef values never sparked as much as seasonally expected with Choice the cutout price reaching a recent peak of $400.31/cwt. June 23 and then declining ...

The role of China in global beef markets has changed rapidly in the past two decades.  China (including Hong Kong) was not a player at all in global beef markets as little as fifteen years ago but has risen rapidly to become the largest beef importer in the last decade ...

Over the last few weeks, the choice-select spread has become a topic of discussion in my market outlooks. The Choice–Select spread directly reflects the market value of quality, signaling how much buyers are willing to pay for cattle that grade USDA Choice versus Select. When the spread is wide, cattle that ...

Cattle prices maintains Strength Negotiated cash fed cattle prices reached historic highs the first week of May at $255-$260/cwt. (FOB live) and $400-$403 (dressed delivered), amid tighter supplies and with packers seeking inventory on the cusp or grilling season.  The CME Feeder Cattle Index continued historically high, ranging from $369.32 ...