Pork Wrap January 9
Download PDF The pork cutout lost another $3.81/cwt. this week as both bellies and hams failed to gain any traction following the holidays. If the cutout is losing $4 this week after three short kill weeks, it is somewhat scary to think what might happen when kills balloon back to normal next week. Futures traders …
Beef Wrap January 9
Download PDF This week’s cash cattle trade averaged $157.78/cwt., almost steady with last week. Cattle in the Southern regions traded at about a $1/ cwt. discount to those in the North. The cutout held up very well, with the Choice adding $3.54/cwt. and the Select gaining a whopping $8.19/cwt. Packer margins stayed essentially flat with …
Beef Wrap December 30
Download PDF Beef buyers appear to have been caught flat-footed by the weather- and holiday-related kill cuts over the past week and a half. Those that needed product immediately helped bid up cuts from nearly every part of the carcass. As a result, the Choice cutout gained almost $14/cwt. on a weekly average basis to …
Pork Wrap December 30
Download PDF The holidays and last week’s weather forced a kill slowdown by pork packers and that had the effect of improving their margins. The cutout gained $2.51/cwt. on a weekly average basis and the WCB negotiated cash market dropped almost $4.50/cwt. That pushed packer margins up to about $17/head—the largest since early October. Pork …
Pork Wrap December 23
Download PDF The hog and pork complex was affected by the same holiday and weather disruptions that plagued the cattle and beef complex this week. Nasty winter weather doesn’t have as big of an impact on hogs as cattle because the hogs are raised indoors in heated facilities, but it does affect transportation of the …
Beef Wrap December 23
Download PDF This was a week of disruptions. First, the upcoming Christmas holiday trimmed slaughter schedules and slowed the meat trade. Next, the artic cold penetrated the midsection of the country raising concerns about animals in the feedyards and limiting both buyer and seller interest in moving animals. The end result is that not many …