Download PDF The cash cattle market continued to ease this week, with the live trade in the North coming in at $196, down $2 from the previous week. In the South however, prices held steady at $188. My best guess at what USDA will report for the 5-area price on Monday is $193.50, down about …
Download PDF Well, it finally happened. The pork cutout came to life this week, adding $4.35 to average $100.18. That is the biggest increase in the cutout in over a year. The sharp gains were driven by the perfect storm of hams and bellies both moving higher at the same time. Both were on our …
Download PDF After watching their margin compress over the past few weeks, pork packers finally got some good news as cash hog prices eased while the cutout moved higher. I estimate this week’s margin near $6.50/head, up about $4 from the week before. The cutout added $1.26 on a weekly average basis as it moved …
Download PDF Prices in the cattle and beef complex finally took a step back this week. It started on Tuesday when the AM Choice cutout printed down almost $5 and that prompted the futures to move sharply lower. It was almost like a game of musical chairs that had run too long and everyone was …
Download PDF Pork packing margins continued to compress this week as the cutout dropped while negotiated hog prices were a little higher. The cutout lost $1.72/cwt. on a weekly average basis on its way to $94.57. That was the first sub-$95 weekly average since the end of March. The NDD negotiated market averaged $1.66 higher …
Download PDF Nobody told beef buyers that the dog days of summer are upon us because they were busy paying up for beef like it was early spring. The Choice cutout added $6.25/cwt. this week on its way to averaging $329.96 and the Select cutout was up $1.60 on a weekly average basis as it …
Download PDF Packer margins came under pressure this week as the cutout dropped and cash hog prices were a little higher. On a weekly average basis, the cutout was down $2.01 to $96.29 while the NDD negotiated market was $1.06 higher to $88.54. That left packer margins at only $5/head—a three-dollar drop from the week …
Download PDF Wholesale beef prices continued to claw higher this week, with the Choice cutout adding $2.32 to average $323.71 for the week and the Select cutout gaining $0.02 to average $303.98. Volumes transacted in the negotiated market were down considerably from the week before, so gain in prices may be more a function of …
Download PDF The pork cutout went on the defensive this week as price weakness in the bellies and loins helped the cutout lose $1.99 on a weekly average basis in moving to $98.30. Cash hog markets were mostly steady as the WCB negotiated price lost only $0.20/cwt. on its way to averaging $87.54. That caused …
Download PDF Last week cash cattle prices in the North exploded higher and this week it was the South’s turn to experience sharply higher prices. Trade happened late on Friday in both regions, but it looks like the bulk of the Southern trade happened at $189-190, up $3-4 over last week. In the North, live …