Download PDF Beef packers’ margin situation got a little more precarious this week as thecutouts turned lower yet cash cattle continued higher. On a weekly averagebasis, the Choice cutout lost $2.27/cwt and the Select was down $0.56/cwt.Thus it looks like the rally in boxes that began in mid-May has now run itscourse. The attached chart …
Download PDF The cash cattle market surprised observers again this week by trading almost $4 higher to average just north of $144. Once again, trade in the North occurred at a significant premium to prices paid in the South. For months now, we have been watching feedyard inventories grow and the consensus of many was …
Download PDF The beef cutouts continued higher this week, with the Choice gaining $3.81/cwt and the Select up $0.41. The cutouts started to struggle some near the end of the week and that makes me think that the early week gains were at least partly a function of the short kill the week before. The …
Download PDF The cash cattle market continued lower again this week, averaging$137.84, which was down about $1.25 from last week’s average.The holiday on Monday reduced beef production for the week andhelped to support the cutouts. The Choice cutout added $3.17/cwt ona weekly average basis and the Select was up $4.39/cwt. Futurestraders were excited to see …
Download PDF The cash cattle market continued its decline this week, losing about$1.50 on its way to averaging $138.93. The Choice cutout gainedjust over $3.00 on the week, but the Select cutout was down $0.88cents. That makes two weeks in a row now that the Choice cutouthas printed higher for the week. Users were likely …
Download PDF The cash cattle market started to eased further this week, dropping alittle over $2 to average $140.26. The beef cutouts were higher, with theChoice gaining $4.07/cwt and the Select up $2.61. Given that this weekwas the sweet spot for last-minute buying ahead of Memorial Day, it wassomewhat surprising to see the chuck primal …
Download PDF The cash cattle market started to work lower this week, with live tradeaveraging $142.39/cwt, about $1 below last week and the dressedmarket averaging $229/cwt, about $1.50 below last week. Thecutouts were lower again this week, but the declines slowed somewhatas the Choice lost $1.34/cwt and the Select lost $3.64/cwt. Packermargins continued to compress …
Download PDF Things just keep getting worse in the beef world. The cutouts were down againthis week with the Choice losing $4.92/cwt on a weekly average basis and theSelect down $4.00/cwt. What’s worse is that the losses are being driven bydeclines in middle meat pricing—a very unusual occurrence in early May. Whilebeef is losing value …
Download PDF The cash cattle market managed to shake off last week’s bearish Cattle onFeed report and held steady this week, thanks in large part to strongbidding in the Northern states where prices were $5-6 higher than in theSouth. The weekly average nationally was $143.31, almost even with theweek before. This is one of the …
Download PDF Cash cattle averaged $143 this week, up almost $2 from last week’saverage. However, the national average price masks a wide disparitybetween prices in the North, which were $145-147, and those in the South,where $140-141 was more common. Cattle supplies are tighter in the northand packers have a big book of product to deliver …