The fall of 2011 may prove to be one of the most profitable seasons that the cow-calf producer has seen since the beginning of the last decade. Feeder cattle prices have begun the feeder run in Western Canada on a very hot step. Some will say though that the rancher needs a series of these… Read More
When you talk about factors affecting the cattle markets as we head into the feeder run, a number of things emerge. High commodity prices are creating a new normal when it comes to a baseline feeder price. Producers have to get over the initial sticker shock and adjust to the fact that higher feeder prices… Read More
In the last two weeks the feeder price and fat cattle price has moved in a very violent down and up swing. Is it based on fundamentals? I am not an analyst but someone that tries to follow the cattle industry closely and I have no way to tell you whether this market is going… Read More
Its sometimes staggering how quickly the mood of a market can change. With US cattle on feed placements being higher by 10% compared to a year ago the resulting plethora of beef to move to the market means lower prices in the short term. Canadian cattle feeders are getting the benefit of a very narrow… Read More
With the record high fat cattle prices behind us, we have entered the spring lulls which usually bring the same sentiment. This year many producers are staring at expensive inventory, potential sky rocketing feed costs and some nice profits made in the first four months of the year. With the seasonal summer lows expected to… Read More
When things are profitable for the feedlot operator, we generally see those operators start to fill pens. That’s the historic trend and it just makes good sense. However, the Canfax numbers for March show cattle placements down again in Canada. As the number of cattle on-feed drop, producers who depend on those numbers begin to… Read More
Barley is bumping off of $200, corn is $7.00 per bushel and dressed cattle prices are just under $200. What is going on here? With inputs and cattle prices both in bull runs it is easy to get caught up in the assumption that this will last forever. As the old saying goes, what goes… Read More
It has been a challenging year for cattle feeders in the respect that unhedged cattle have performed well financially but the majority of cattle for progressive producers were contracted or hedged. On top of this is the fact that replacing cattle in the feed yard is very expensive based on the break evens that are… Read More
I can remember back earlier in the year when Anne Dunford told me that, “higher prices doesn’t mean higher profits.” It would seem that this is proving to be very true in the cattle markets. Feedyards that locked in with contracts are disappointed and wishing more cattle were being sold in the cash market. The… Read More
It is really hard to find analysts, feeders and ranchers that are bearish on this cattle market. The industry as a whole is pretty bullish in comparison to prior years and especially in comparison to two years ago. Everyone is bullish prices in 2011 but are they bullish margins and if they are not, should… Read More
When you look back at 2010 it was a real turnaround year for the cattle markets. Both the Canadian feedyard and the rancher did quite well considering all the volatility in the marketplace. We saw higher calf prices and fat prices throughout the fall run which was much needed and required more some people to… Read More
You can look at volatility in two ways. Volatility in the cattle markets means that you may be exposed to risk that you did not plan for. For example, earlier this decade when the CDN dollar moved from the low 70’s to par in a violent upward fashion which caught many people off guard. The other… Read More
Some things change and some things just stay the same. Some things are predictable and some things are not. As expected carcass weights have peaked for the fall as the trend downwards has begun. While at the same time basis levels have been strong resulting in stronger pricing. According to Anne, pre-2003 basis levels were… Read More
In this weeks episode of the Beef Market Update, Anne Dunford discusses the need for cattle feeders to see feed prices and Canadian Dollar go lowr based on the calf placement prices. The reality is that this will probably not happen in the short term, which will lead to losses in this turn of cattle… Read More
We thought it would be cool to do something for the Beef Market Update this week. This week I collected some questions from viewers and gave them to Anne. We are going to call it JUST ASK ANNE !!! We think that you will really like this segment and we plan to do it more… Read More
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