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Yesterday, the FDA released a draft guidance on the labeling of plant-based milk alternatives.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...
Beef packer margins deteriorated sharply to -$167/head last week, down $89 from the prior week as fed cattle prices rebounded while the Choice cutout continued to weaken. The cutout slipped to $363/cwt, while fed cattle prices climbed to $235/cwt, reversing much of the recent improvement in pac...
What You Need to Know Today: Tensions in the Middle East escalated over the weekend with Iran demanding the U.S. make multiple concessions that are likely non-starters before traffic can flow through the Strait of Hormuz again. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey signed a mutual defense agreeme...