USDA will release its Cattle on Feed report tomorrow; analysts’ pre-report estimates peg the total number of cattle on feed as of 1 February at 96 percent of February 2022. Last February was the record for February feed yard inventory. This would be the fourth consecutive month where on-feed inventories are lower than year ago levels.
Placements were forecast to be 97 percent of last year and marketings at 104 percent of last year. The ranges of estimates were relatively tight with the most variance in the placement category as typical.
Yesterday, the FDA released a draft guidance on the labeling of plant-based milk alternatives. The guidance did not address meat alternative labeling, however. In 2018, the FDA reques...
What You Need to Know Today: Cattle futures extended their sharp selloff Friday as weakening cash cattle prices, deteriorating feedlot profitability, and reduced packer demand continued to weigh on the market. The inability of futures to sustain a rally following last week's bullish Cattle on...
As predicted, the Federal Reserve held rates steady at the last meeting before the midterm elections, likely in part because of the election (see WPI 19 October and 22 September). The decision comes at the tail end of a midterm election cycle that has been marked by the two parties campaigning...
Key Takeaways: The tariff burden rose sharply in 2025 and 2026: the effective rate on imports in HTS Chapters 1–24 increased from 1.53 percent in 2024 to 6.11 percent in 2025, before averaging 5.68 percent in January–August 2026. Headline rates tell only part of the story: exemptio...
