Download PDF Prices in the beef complex eased a little lower this week with the Choice cutout losing $0.92/cwt. and the Select cutout dropping $2.71/cwt. The Choice cutout averaged $299.94 for the week, the first sub-$300 average since mid-May. The cash cattle market reacted very similarly to the week before when a downdraft in the …
Download PDF The pork cutout continued to ease lower this week, dropping $1.65 to average $97.81. That was a little faster decline than what we have seen in recent weeks, but still isn’t consistent with a market that is in trouble. Negotiated hog prices were lower also, with the NDD price dropping $2.31/cwt. on a …
Download PDF The spread between cattle prices in the North and South narrowed further this week as live cash trade in the North was about $1-2 lower than the week before while trade in the South was fully steady at $183/cwt. It looks like the average of all live sales was close to $183.80, which …
Download PDF For the second week in a row, the pork cutout moved higher, advancing $2.05/cwt. on a weekly average basis to $99.36. Given that the cutout was stronger, there was little reason for packers to pressure cash hog prices and those were mostly steady, with the WCB negotiated market down only $0.18/cwt. on a …
Download PDF Packer margins sank deeper in the red this week as the cutouts moved lower while cash cattle traded a little bit stronger. The Choice cutout dropped $4.76/cwt. to average $302.79 and the Select cutout was down $4.62/cwt. to average $280.66. Rounds and loins were the biggest hinderance to the cutout this week, but …
Download PDF For the second week in a row, the pork cutout moved higher, advancing $2.05/cwt. on a weekly average basis to $99.36. Given that the cutout was stronger, there was little reason for packers to pressure cash hog prices and those were mostly steady, with the WCB negotiated market down only $0.18/cwt. on a …
Download PDF The cash cattle market broke out of its trading range to the upside this week, with live trade in the South reported at $182-183/cwt., which was up $2-3/cwt. from last week. In the North, trade was mostly $1-2 higher at $184-185/cwt. The price spread between the North and South continues to narrow. What …
Download PDF The pork market got a little goofy this week as small volume trades at much higher prices in the bellies helped push the cutout back into the $98-99/cwt. area. It is unlikely that the cutout will hold up here now that production is back to normal following the holiday, but for a few …
Download PDF Last week’s short kill seemed to stabilize the cutouts, with the Choice only down $1.56/cwt to average $313.40 and the Select down $2.83 to average $287.34. The average cash cattle price appears as though it will be similar to last week’s $182.50, as packers were able to get cattle bought steady to a …
Download PDF Bellies continued their correction this week, pressuring the cutout down $8.21/cwt. to average $93.39. In response, packers pressured cash hog prices lower, with the WCB negotiated price dropping $6.84/cwt. to average $81.91. The declines in the cutout and cash hogs are still working their way into the LHI, so this week’s packer margin …