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 11.5 million head, just slightly below last year.
Marketings were 1.52 million head, at 93 percent of last year, in line with the pre-report expectations, and the second lowest on record since 1996. Marketings were down on fewer placements in previous months and less aggressive demand from packers. As a percentage of total inventory, February marketings were well below current-year levels, at 13.1 percent in 2026 compared to 14.1 percent in 2025. There were 20 slaughter days in February 2026 and 2025. Total daily marketings were 76,100 in February 2026 versus 81,650 in February 202...
What You Need to Know Today: Crude oil prices dropped sharply with traffic flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. There were reports that Iran was behind an attack on a cargo ship near the coast of Oman, which would be a violation of the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran. Pr...
On Wednesday, the White House submitted a national security supplemental spending request for $87.6 billion. The majority of the request includes funding for the conflict in the Middle East, but there are agricultural provisions as well. The supplemental funding package includes more than $11 b...
Can we really expect a bushel of corn to carry an environmental passport throughout the entire food system? One that reliably documents its carbon footprint, biodiversity impacts, water use, soil carbon, and other environmental attributes all the way from the farm field to the consumer? This is...
