WLI

Negotiated cash fed cattle trade remained undeveloped through Thursday afternoon. A few live trades were reported in the western Corn Belt at $124/cwt., but too few to trend.

Cattle futures leaked mostly slightly higher, apparently tied to expectations of further cash support for fed cattle. Lower grain prices also provided support to Feeder Cattle.

Except for 5¢ and 17¢ lower in Dec and away Feb, respectively, Live Cattle futures closed an average of 29¢ higher. 

Feeder Cattle futures closed an average of 39¢ higher (5¢ to 60¢ higher).

Corn futures closed 2¢ to 4¢ lower through Sep ’20 and then mostly 1¢ lower. 

Soybean futures closed 10¢ to 13¢ lower through Jul ‘20, and then 8¢ to 9¢ lower, amid chatter about fewer year-over-year exports to China and early expectations for the next domestic crop weighing on stocks. 

Wholesale beef values were weak to lower on light demand and offerings, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service.

Choice boxed beef cutout value was 37¢ lower Thursday afternoon at $216.07/cwt. Select was $1.60 lower at $210.41. 

*******************************

Major U.S. financial indices closed mixed Thursday. Pressure included a month-to-month decline in retail sales of 1.2% in December, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 103 points lower. The S&P 500 closed 7 points lower. The NASDAQ was up 6 points.

*******************************

Despite expectations of falling land values over the past few surveys, quality farmland values rose 3.4% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, according to the latest Agricultural Finance Monitor published by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Ranchland or pastureland values increased by 6.5% in the fourth quarter after increasing 1.5% in the third quarter. Cash rents for quality farmland rose 2.9% in the fourth quarter, following a 2% gain in the third quarter. Cash rents for ranchland or pastureland rose by 1.3%, after increasing by 0.8% in the third quarter.

At the same time, lenders continue to report declines in farm income relative to a year earlier. The current index value marks the 20th consecutive quarter with a value below 100. Results above 100 indicate proportionately more bankers report higher income compared with the same quarter a year ago, while results lower than 100 indicate proportionately more bankers report lower income from a year earlier.

The fourth-quarter index value for farm income was 41. Expectations for farm income in the first quarter of 2019 were slightly more optimistic with an index value of 48. 

The survey was conducted from Dec. 15-31 last year. The results are based on responses from 22 agricultural banks within the boundaries of the Eighth Federal Reserve District, which includes all or parts of: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.

Negotiated cash fed cattle trade remained undeveloped through Wednesday afternoon, but packer interest seemed to pick up, at least on a token basis. Although too few transactions to trend, a few western Corn Belt trades were reported at $123-$124/cwt. on a live basis and at $199-$200 in the beef.

There were 785 head offered in the weekly Fed Cattle Exchange auction. There were no sales, but three lots passed out at $125/cwt.

Cattle futures closed lower, amid likely overall position squaring and beneath the umbrella of uncertainty regarding if and when a trade deal will be completed with China. Aside from light trade, recently firmer grain prices added drag to Feeder Cattle.

Live Cattle futures closed an average of 47¢ lower. 

Feeder Cattle futures closed an average of 74¢ lower. 

Corn futures closed mostly fractionally mixed. 

Soybean futures closed mostly 1¢ lower, following the previous session’s strong gains. 

Wholesale beef values were weak to lower on light to moderate demand and offerings, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service.

Choice boxed beef cutout value was 72¢ lower Wednesday afternoon at $216.44/cwt. Select was 99¢ lower at $212.01. 

*******************************

Major U.S. financial indices closed higher Wednesday, with optimism over a tentative plan that would avoid another government shutdown, as well as reports that the U.S. may be flexible in its Mar. 1 deadline with China as the two nations toward a trade deal.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 117 points higher. The S&P 500 closed 8 points higher. The NASDAQ was up 5 points.

*******************************

Aggressive herd expansion for the past five years—and expectations of continued minimal expansion for another year or two—will continue to provide cyclical price risk, explained Kevin Good, CattleFax analyst, at that organization’s recent Outlook Seminar.

Along the way, Good noted that growing supplies of cattle will shift leverage to the feeding sector from cow-calf producers and stocker operators.

“Cattle producers, on average, will receive a smaller percentage of the retail beef dollar as larger cattle supplies increase price pressure across all segments of the industry,” Good said. “Retail beef prices will likely see some inflation in 2019, but larger beef, pork and poultry production will be price limiting.”

CattleFax projects the all-fresh retail beef price to average $5.73/lb. this year, up 6¢ from last year, with the composite carcass cutout value increasing $4 to average $216/cwt.

There was no cash fed cattle trade to speak of through Tuesday afternoon, as expected.

Cattle futures closed mainly narrowly mixed, amid likely profit taking and position squaring, buoyed by sharply higher outside markets.

After $1.00 lower in spot Feb, Live Cattle futures an average of 19¢ lower to an average of 11¢ higher. 

Feeder Cattle futures closed from 27¢ lower to 30¢ higher. 

Grain futures closed mainly higher on speculation that the U.S. and China will reach a resolution on trade sooner rather than later.

Corn futures closed 4¢ to 5¢ higher through Jul ’20 and then mostly 1¢ to 2¢ higher. 

Soybean futures closed mostly 10¢ to 12¢ higher. 

Wholesale beef values were firm on Choice and lower on Select with light to moderate demand and moderate offerings, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service.

Choice boxed beef cutout value was 28¢ higher Tuesday afternoon at $217.16/cwt. Select was 86¢ lower at $213.00. 

*******************************

Major U.S. financial indices closed sharply higher Tuesday, with investors cheering a tentative plan that would avoid another government shutdown.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 372 points higher. The S&P 500 closed 34 points higher. The NASDAQ was up 106 points.

*******************************

Hay stocks Dec. 1 were 5.4 million tons less than the previous year (-6.4%) according to USDA’s February Crop Production report issued last week. The decline is accentuated in areas like the Southern Plains, where stocks are down a combined 16.0% in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, according to Derrell Peel, Extension livestock marketing specialist at Oklahoma State University.

Since then, Peel says there’s little doubt winter storms chewed further into stocks.

“Around Oklahoma, anecdotal reports suggest that some producers are concerned about having adequate hay supplies for the winter and are finding, in many cases, that hay is in tight hands and, if available to purchase at all, is increasingly expensive,” Peel explains, in his most recent market comments. 

If Art Douglas, professor emeritus at Creighton University is correct, El Niño conditions should provide above-normal precipitation to these areas through the summer.

“La Niña conditions are unlikely in the next eight months as the equatorial current shows only slow cooling,” Douglas explained during the recent 2019 CattleFax Outlook Seminar. “The residual warmth along the equator will lead to a wetter summer in the southern half of the U.S., while warm waters off the coast of Mexico will favor an active monsoon season in the Southwest.”

Negotiated cash fed cattle trade ended up last week $1 higher on a live basis at $125/cwt. in the Southern Plains and $1.00-$1.50 higher in the north at $124.50-$126.00. Dressed sales were up to $3 higher at $200. 

Cattle futures trickled higher Monday, after narrow mixed trade early, supported by last week’s cash trade and stronger wholesale beef values.

Live Cattle futures closed 42¢ higher. 

Except for 50¢ lower in the back contract, Feeder Cattle futures closed an average of 64¢ higher. 

Corn futures closed mostly fractionally lower to 1¢ lower.

Soybean futures closed 6¢ to 9¢ lower. 

Wholesale beef values were higher to sharply higher on moderate to good demand and light offerings, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service.

Choice boxed beef cutout value was $1.53 higher Monday afternoon at $216.88/cwt. Select was $2.69 higher at $213.86. 

*******************************

Major U.S. financial indices closed narrowly mixed again on Monday, with lingering worries about the lack of resolution to trade issues between the U.S. and China.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 53 points lower. The S&P 500 closed 1 point higher. The NASDAQ was up 9 points.

Indices are sharply higher in early trade today on signs the government may have a plan in place to avoid another shutdown.

*******************************

“The wet winter weather in entre cattle feeding region, from the upper Midwest and all the way south through the Southern Plains will hold weights down and likely create some variability in finishing times,” says Stephen Koontz, agricultural economist at Colorado State University, in the latest issue of In the Cattle Markets. “Regardless, beef and slaughter prices are holding strong through this first two-month window into the year.”

On the other side of the fence, Koontz points out steer calves (500-600 lbs.) are trading $5-$15/cwt. lower than a year earlier while feeder weights (700-800 lbs.) are selling for about $10 less.

“The current feeder cattle cash and futures prices and the deferred Live Cattle futures prices suggest strong concerns about the coming summer,” Koontz says. “We are starting the year expecting big supplies of beef through the summer and it will take surprise good news for optimism. The solid domestic demand and demand due to international trade in protein is, for me, much less of a given this year.”