Live cattle negotiated prices in the south hit $155/cwt this week, while in the north they reached $157, and still some sellers held out for more. Negotiated dressed prices averaged $245/cwt.
Slaughter last week was down due to the Thanksgiving holiday but was still higher than the same week last year and the largest Thanksgiving week volume since 2006. Much of that was still due to cow slaughter, which will soon go into steep decline, likely adding pressure to fed cattle – especially with fewer heifers in the mix. That will be a steep drop. USDA is still forecasting beef imports for next year to be 3.35 billion pounds, down slightly from the 2022 forecast of 3.376 billion pounds. However, with lower cow slaughte...
What You Need to Know Today: As was widely expected, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 basis points to a target range of 3.75–4.00 percent, its first rate increase since 2023, as policymakers respond to persistent inflation pressures. The Fed also signaled that additi...
Key Takeaways: USDA data access is equal; the ability to use it is not. Larger operations can afford experts who turn public reports into business decisions. Analytical capacity is the true advantage. Forecasts matter only when converted into profit, purchasing, and risk-management decisions...
