One of the questions on every producers mind is, “How long can these prices continue?” Looking at the demand side, we don’t see any real indication beside the seasonal dips that regularly occur. On the skeptical side however, whenever we have an extended run like this we have a tendency to wait for the other… Read More
If a person were to describe the overall mood of this year’s NCBA Conference, it would be descibed as price bullish and margin bearish. As we have mentioned before, it’s a cautious optimism for feeders and packers, which comes with a recognition of the volatility that producers have gone through and are also facing in the future…. Read More
Volatility was the recurring theme in the cattle industry over 2011. The fact is that the mood created by that volatility has carried into 2012. Even with things looking up for producers, the violent swings of the 2011 market are tempering any optimism with caution. Those sentiments were apparent at this year’s Tiffin Conference as… Read More
It’s Christmas on this episode of the Beef Market Update and this year we get Anne to give us her Christmas list. 2011 hasn’t been a perfect year. The Beef Market Christmas tree has a few bright ornaments and a few broken branches to mark the 2011 calendar year. The year finished with some bright… Read More
Where will 2012 see the cattle market go? Who’s star will rise? there is potential for a great year for the cattle feeder depending on where the global economy will leave the Canadian Dollar and the demand for beef. That profitability could be tempered by rising feeder costs. The cow calf producer looks to be facing a great… Read More
The major story on every beef industry radar was last weeks WTO ruling in favour of Canada with regard to the U.S. Country Of Origin Labelling legislation. The resulting effect on the market……meh. The fact is, the entire industry is awaiting the U.S. appeal and the looong drawn out process to begin again. It’s a… Read More
Understanding the cattle market right now can be a real head-scratcher if you don’t know what to pay attention to. Trying to determine the factors influencing the wild market swings is like chasing the wind. There are a number of outside factors all exerting some kind of influence from unstable overseas markets to inside bids… Read More
The USDA October Cattle on Feed Report came out late last week with one number in particular well above U.S. analysts estimates. The October 1st on-feed inventory was roughly a percent above estimates, re-establishing the impact the drought in key cattle producing parts of the U.S. is having on the regular flow of cattle. The… Read More
The Alberta & Saskatchewan Cattle on Feed report came out last week and a number of over arching themes emerged. The small herd numbers are evident when we take a look at feed yard placement numbers and heifer retention. The strong calf prices seem to be driving that heifer retention as ranchers consider replentishing the… Read More
Expect the unexpected is one of those phrases we’ve been trained to associate with something negative. In the reality of this global economic situation, that is understandable. Sometimes however, we get an unexpected silver lining type situation. The story surrounding our Canadian dollar and our cattle exports is one of those. A weaker dollar,(even if… Read More
With the announcement of the TWIST package in the United States this week, the currency and commodity markets have been put into a volatile mess. I say mess, cattle feeders say relief. With the Canadian Dollar dropping below par for the first time since February, Canadian cattle feeders can now breath a sigh of relief… Read More
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