World Perspectives
livestock

Cattle and Beef: Bigger and Better Respectively

Total cattle slaughter last week during the shortened Memorial Day holiday week was down 67,000 head from the prior week and down 28,000 from last year. However, slaughter weights reached 1,400 pounds. The heavier carcass weights are being driven by lower cattle supplies, fewer cows (both beef and dairy) in the mix and thus a higher percentage of fed cattle, lower feed costs, and higher break-evens. Moreover, these heavier weights are resulting in more beef and better grading.   While slaughter is down 4.5 percent year-to-date, beef production is down only 1.9 percent. Dressed weights for last week were estimated at 852 pounds, up from 817 pounds actual weight for the same week last year. This trend of heavier cattle is counter s...

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From WPI Consulting

Forecasting developments in production agriculture

On behalf of a private U.S. agricultural technology provider, WPI’s team generated an econometric model to forecast the movement of concentrated corn production north and west from the traditional U.S. Corn Belt. WPI’s model has subsequently provided quantitative support to a multi-million-dollar investment into short-season corn variety development. WPI’s methodology included a series of interviews with regional grain elevators and seed consultants. Emphasizing outreach and communication with stakeholders who possess intimate sectoral knowledge – on-the-ground insights – is a regular component of WPI’s methodologies, made possible by WPI’s ever-growing network of industry contacts.

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