Two key trends bely what’s in store for meat and livestock in late 2021 and early 2022: the prices of feeder pigs and feeder cattle. As we wrote last week, demand for protein remains strong. Moreover, supplies of livestock are tightening, especially downstream to feeders. First, hogs – the relatively more straight-forward situation of the two. There has been a lot of packing capacity added in the past several years, and the herd is contracting. The last quarterly Hogs and Pigs report (WPI’s 24 June coverage here) showed the first drop in the June inventory since 2014.
Since the end of June, packers have bid less aggressively for hogs and the national negotiated price has cooled, but feeder pig prices have remained well...
What You Need to Know Today: The corn and soybean markets closed slightly higher in low-volume trade. The wheat market was mixed, with HRW continuing its downward trek on improved moisture. As expected, the bearish cattle on feed report drove down cattle prices and pulled hogs down with it. Mi...
Monday, 25 May is a U.S. holiday, and both the markets and our office will be closed. Please note that the next issue of Ag Perspectives will be published on Tuesday, 26 May. The WPI staff wishes everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend...
USDA’s monthly cattle on feed report was released today. The total number of cattle on feed in feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity amounted to 11.6 million head, 102 percent of last year. Source: USDA, WPI Placements were up, but part of that is attributable to persistent drought c...