cattle markets

What might this fall harvest season have in store when it comes to the markets and market prices? Where might the cost of diesel and propane be as growers fire up those combines and grain driers? What about the market for various feed ingredients? Is it advisable to stock up now or hold off a bit on those purchases? 

The markets for beef cattle and hogs look to be making some adjustments as well. What might those look like as we head into the end of the year? 

Lots of questions and to find out more we caught up with Andrew McCarty and Domenic Varricchio, co-founders of Pluto Commodities, during this week’s Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois. 

This episode is sponsored by United Animal Health, a leader in animal health and nutrition. You can learn more about United Animal Health and how they are working to advance animal science worldwide by visiting the website at UnitedANH.com

For more information, on this and other topics, we invite you to visit our websites - www.Feedstuffs.com, www.BeefMagazine.com and www.NationalHogFarmer.com. While you are there be sure to check out our digital editions and our new Feedstuffs 365 platform.

12-6-22 AJ Daily

Preparing for Financial Opportunity — Heifer Retention
Adapted from an article by Mark Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension

March Through NCBA Trade Show in the Crescent City
Adapted from a release by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association 

Alliance Releases Reports From 2022 Animal Rights Conferences
Adapted from a release by the Animal Agriculture Alliance 

Compiled by Paige Nelson, field editor, Angus Journal. For more Angus news, visit angusjournal.net. 

Prepare for a riveting journey back to the 19th-century cattle industry as we spotlight Joseph G McCoy's game-changing contributions. Ever wondered how the inception of the first cow town in Abilene, Kansas, complete with a pen for a thousand head of cattle, a hotel, a bank office, and a livery stable came to be? Or how the creation of a unique transportation system for the booming Texas cattle trade had an immense impact on the mid-continent regions? We're unpacking all of these fascinating narratives and more, right here.

But our trail doesn't stop at the cattle industry. We're stepping into the larger picture of Western Expansion, digging into the undeniable influence of McCoy's work in shaping this historical era. His revitalization of the cattle industry didn't just birth numerous stock ranges, but also played a crucial role in healing the north-south divide post the Civil War. So, get ready to envisage a different West, one untouched by McCoy's influence, and join us in exploring how this one man changed the course of history.

Stay with us after this episode as we explore the plausibility of the cattle trade and ask the question, what would have happened to the westward expansion if the cattle trade industry had never existed? Join us next time as we explore the Making of the Cattle Trails. Subscribe to Wild West Podcast at: Apple Podcast

Return of the Great Hunters
Cattle Drives Website
Legends of Dodge City Website
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9-20-22 AJ Daily

Callahan on a Good Bull vs. a Great Bull
Adapted from a release by Miranda Reiman, seinor associate editor

Cost-effective and Balanced Cow Rations
Adapted from a release by Heather Gessner, South Dakota State University Extension

NCBA Seeking Summer Public Policy Interns for D.C. Office
Adapted from a release by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Feeder Cattle Imports
Adapted from a report by Len Steiner, Steiner Consulting Group

Compiled by Paige Nelson, field editor, Angus Journal. For more Angus news, visit angusjournal.net.

9-13-22 AJ Daily

Four Estate Planning Mistakes to Avoid
Adapted from an article by University of South Carolina

Beef Promotion Operating Committee Approves Fiscal Year 2023 Checkoff Plan of Work
Adapted from a release by the Beef Checkoff Program

USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates: Livestock
Adapted from a release by the USDA

Compiled by Paige Nelson, field editor, Angus Journal.  For more Angus news, visit angusjournal.net.

9-12-22 AJ Daily

What are Tax Implications for 1031 Exchange?
Adapted from an article by Heather Smith Thomas for Angus Beef Bulletin

Discussion of Chinese Beef Imports and Consumption
Adapted from a release by Len Steiner, Steiner Consulting Group

Beltway Beef Podcast: NCBA: Support for the Livestock Regulatory Protection Act
Adapted from a release by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

USDA Now Accepting Applications for $1 Billion Rural High-Speed Internet Program
Adapted from a release by the USDA

Compiled by Paige Nelson, field editor, Angus Journal.  For more Angus news, visit angusjournal.net. 

9-8-22 AJ Daily

CAB Insider: Corn Basis Factors
Adapted from an article by Paul Dykstra, Certified Angus Beef LLC

AFBF Supports Advancement of Doug McKalip for Chief Agricultural Negotiator
Adapted from a release by the American Farm Bureau Federation

NCBA Urges Senate Committee to Pass Livestock Regulatory Protection Act
Adapted from a release by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Drought Recovery Forage Options
Adapted from a release by the University of Missouri Extension 

Compiled by Paige Nelson, field editor, Angus Journal.  For more Angus news, visit angusjournal.net. 

9-7-22 AJ Daily

Seven Ways to Avoid Prussic Acid Poisoning After Drought-time Rains
Adapted from a release by Marilyn Cummins, Noble Research Institute

Feeding Minds Press Shares Achievements of Norman Borlaug With Next Generation
Adapted from a release by American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture

Avian Influenza
Adapted from a release by Len Steiner, Steiner Consulting Group

CAB Insider: Market Update
Adapted from a release by Paul Dykstra, Certified Angus Beef

Compiled by Paige Nelson, field editor, Angus Journal. For more Angus news, visit angusjournal.net. 

Protein prices have increased rapidly in the past 24 months, amid the broader press of inflation. With inflation at its highest rate in more than 40 years, the question becomes how long beef, pork and poultry prices can remain at such elevated levels before demand erodes significantly.

David Williams is senior vice president of procurement and management at CTI Foods, based in Texas. In this episode, Williams discusses the current state of the animal protein markets, with an eye toward the implications of sustained food price inflation on demand, and how those same factors will influence the supply side of the equation over the next 12-to-24 months.

We also discuss the persistent drought in cattle country, and why he says most analysts are underestimating how much the cattle herd is shrinking as producers struggle in the absence of hay and pasture.

This episode is sponsored by United Animal Health, a leader in animal health and nutrition. You can learn more about United Animal Health and how they are working to advance animal science worldwide by visiting their website UnitedANH.com.

Economic headwinds and ongoing weather concerns are the major storylines heading into the back half of 2022. With ongoing uncertainty about inflation, interest rates, global conflict and drought across large swaths of cattle country all on the table, beef producers have plenty to think about when looking at the big picture.

Lance Zimmerman was recently named Senior Beef Analyst at Rabobank’s Food and Agribusiness research team. Zimmerman joined Rabobank after nearly 12 years at CattleFax, where he served as CattleFax’s Manager of Research, Analysis and Data from 2016 to 2021, and most recently as Director of Research and Protein Market Analysis. Prior to joining CattleFax, Zimmerman spent more than six years at Certified Angus Beef, where he led their marketing and supply development efforts.

In this episode, Zimmerman discusses the liquidation of the U.S. cattle herd due to ongoing drought challenges, and what current economic conditions portend for the future of the beef industry as a whole.

This episode is sponsored by United Animal Health, a leader in animal health and nutrition. You can learn more about United Animal Health and how they are working to advance animal science worldwide by visiting their website UnitedANH.com.

To say that we live in interesting times, from an agricultural policy standpoint, might border on understatement. The regulatory, political, and trade environment in the animal agriculture space has rarely been more fraught. What does that mean for the feed and livestock industries? We’ll find out in this edition of Feedstuffs In Focus. 

Earlier this week as part of The Virtual BEEF Experience, an online event hosted by our sister publication BEEF, Feedstuffs editor Sarah Muirhead sat down with Farm Progress policy editor Jacqui Fatka for a rundown of some of the biggest topics facing livestock producers today in the policy arena. Here’s Sarah.

You can read Jacqui’s Inside Washington column each month in the new dynamic digital edition of Feedstuffs; the May issue is now available by clicking HERE.

Beef prices – like all food prices – have increased as the inflationary story in the marketplace unfolds. Thus far consumers haven’t balked at paying higher prices for their favorite center-of-plate protein, but how long can that demand hold out? And what is the outlook for the cattle producer as feed costs escalate, too?

Don Close is an agricultural economist, and senior animal protein analyst with Rabobank’s Food & Agribusiness Research team. He recently released a report on the beef supply in a “post-COVID world”, discussing a series of challenges facing the beef supply chain in the coming year. I spoke with Don about those challenges, and how beef demand has remained so resilient in the face of inflation the likes of which hasn’t been seen in a generation.

This episode is sponsored by Novus International, Inc. — a leader in poultry, dairy and swine nutrition solutions driven by science. Novus’ products and services look at the whole animal, focusing on productivity and well-being, in order to feed the world affordable and wholesome food.

For more information, visit Novus’s website at www.novusint.com

Winter Storm Uri, the latest in a series of winter storms this month, pummeled much of the Heartland, from deep into Texas on through the High Plains and across the Midwest. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, more than 73% of the Lower 48 states was covered in snow by Wednesday — the largest snowcover for a single day since NOAA began tracking this data in 2003.

With extreme cold temperatures lasting far longer than normal in several regions affected by the storm, the implications for livestock producers and marketers are significant. During a Feedstuffs 365 live panel this week, Dennis Smith with Archer Financial predicted that cattle slaughter will likely drop 40,000 head this week due to the situation. 

Although most of the issues with plant shutdowns are happening in Texas due to the significant strain placed on the state’s electric grid, plants in Kansas were also being idled, shut down, or slowed.

In this episode we talk with Oklahoma State University agricultural economist Derrell Peel, who was – in his words – hunkered down due to the storm during our conversation. He provides some insights into what cattle and hog producers are up against, and what it might mean for cattle and hog slaughter, as well as how the extreme weather might affect consumer meat demand in the coming days.

RELATED STORY: Winter Storm Uri batters agriculture supply chain

It’s been a tough row to hoe for cattle producers this year, as COVID-19 disrupted the normal flow of beef through the foodservice and retail channels, with restaurants largely closing and grocery stores struggling to meet panic-fueled demand in a relatively short period of time. Cutout values skyrocketed but prices paid for cattle fell as plants slowed line speeds or shutdown altogether as workers fell ill to the novel coronavirus.

What does the outlook for cattle and beef values hold in the second half of an already unprecedented year?

In this episode we hear from Don Close, senior animal protein analyst with Rabo AgriFinance. Close spoke with Feedstuffs editor Krissa Welshans about the unique challenges facing the nation’s farmers, ranchers and cattle raisers, recapping the wild ride the cattle markets took between February and June of this year, and offering his insights into a path forward for producers and packers.

The questions and unknowns at this stage are many, and Close provides a framework for understanding what the cattle industry has in store as we barrel headlong toward 2021. 

For more information on this and other stories, visit Feedstuffs online.
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