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 conditions in much of the major cattle-feeding regions. Those increased placements would normally be considered bearish, but market-ready cattle numbers are tight, and marketings were down 10 percent. In the first four months of this year, through April, cattle slaughter was down 870,000 head, or 8.6 percent. Based on one less slaughter day in 2026, that nets out to a drop of 7.5 percent. April fed beef production was down 6.5 percent, and non-fed beef...
What You Need to Know Today: Market attention is shifting toward Tuesday’s USDA WASDE report, with analysts anticipating a modest reduction in U.S. corn production estimates and an increase in soybean production. The report could provide fresh direction for grain markets as traders reass...
Key Takeaways: WPI’s forecasts call for physical U.S. soybean crushing margins to weaken over the next four months and average $4.44/bushel by late February, while CBOT futures margins should rise modestly to about $2.40/bushel. A key catalyst for this is the expectation that U.S...
The election is over – for the most part. Counting is still underway in some states, including Alaska, where a ranked-choice voting system is in place for the Senate race, and Mississippi, as well as in some House districts. But as of now, Democrats have secured at least 54 Senate seats,...