WLI

Recently increased feedlot turnover and the availability of grass yearlings helped lift calf and feeder cattle prices last week. Nationwide, steers and heifers sold steady to $4/cwt. higher, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).

Feeder Cattle futures closed an average of 93¢ lower week to week on Friday (32¢ lower at the back to $1.42 lower).

“The strength that has been evident in the futures market the past couple of weeks is beginning to become evident in the cash feeder cattle and calf markets,” says Andrew P. Griffith, agricultural economist at the University of Tennessee, in his weekly market comments. “The calf market price movement could be considered contra-seasonal because the calf market tends to soften during the heat of summer and moving into the fall. However, the coronavirus pandemic depressed the calf market through the spring months and the first part of summer. The calf market is now trying to realign based on fundamental supply and demand. It is going to be extremely difficult to predict where this market will go over the next several months, but there is a good possibility that fall prices will be better than the fall of 2019.”

As for feeder cattle, Griffith notes the seasonal tendency of increasing prices through the summer seems to be intact.

“The market is offering producers an opportunity to sell calves at higher prices, and there is more upside potential,” Griffith says. “However, the market is so fragile that any negative news within the beef industry, such as news of higher feed costs or something negatively associated with coronavirus, could turn the feeder cattle market on its head.”

Get through August and net feedlot returns grow significantly more positive, according to the most recent Historical and Projected Kansas Feedlot Net Returns (HPK) from Kansas State University.

Fed Cattle Prices Edge Higher

Through Thursday, the average five-area direct fed steer price was $97.23/cwt. on a live basis, which was 91¢ higher than the previous week, but $18.20 less than the same time last year.

Regionally, negotiated cash fed cattle trade for the week was generally $1-$2 higher on a live basis at $96/cwt. in the Southern Plains, $98 in the Northern Plains and $99-$100 in the western Corn Belt. Dressed trades were mostly $1 higher at $158.

Live Cattle futures closed an average of 95¢ lower week to week on Friday (12¢ lower at the back to $1.95 lower in spot Aug).

Total estimated cattle slaughter for the week ending July 25 of 646,000 head would be 4,000 head fewer than the prior week and 6,000 head fewer than the same week a year earlier, according to USDA’s Estimated Weekly Meat Production Under Federal Inspection report.  

Year to date, through June, fed cattle slaughter of 12.08 million was 772,600 head fewer (-6.01%) than the same time last year, according to the monthly USDA Livestock Slaughter report.

Boxed Beef Price Might be Established

“There is a very good chance boxed beef prices have hit their summer low,” Griffith says. “If they have hit their low, then there is a good chance they will be somewhat stagnant for a while before a slow grind higher leading up to holidays at the end of the year. How high boxed beef prices move through the end of the year may depend on how holidays are celebrated if coronavirus remains a concern.”

Choice boxed beef cutout value was $1.30 higher week to week on Friday at $201.77/cwt. Select was 32¢ higher at $190.63.

“The expectation of strong beef production through the end of the year will temper wholesale beef values to some degree, simply due to the quantity supplied to the market,” Griffith explains. “Despite this strong production, Choice boxes have the potential to move back to the $225 to $230/cwt. range as an apex before the end of the year.”

Year to date through June, beef production under federal inspection of 12.78 billion lbs. was 279.7 million lbs. less (-2.14%) than the same time last year, according to the Livestock Slaughter report.

Heavier carcass weights continue to close the gap between beef production and the number of cattle harvested.

Year to date through June, the average dressed steer weight of 897 lbs. is 33 lbs. heavier. The average dressed heifer weight of 829 lbs. is 25 lbs. heavier. Both are record high, according to AMS.

“Beef production will be higher year over year for the remainder of the year,” explained Derrell Peel, Extension livestock marketing specialist at Oklahoma State University, in his early-week market comments. “This may combine with limited demand to keep wholesale beef prices under pressure going forward.

“Longer term, beef demand may be affected by the economic recession. Impacts have not been obvious thus far but unemployment is still high and some unemployment benefits will end this month. With COVID-19 far from controlled, considerable uncertainty remains regarding how school schedules, sporting activities and business travel could affect beef demand this fall.”

USDA Reports on Price Investigation

USDA released its investigation into cattle and beef price reactions to last summer’s fire at the Tyson plant in Holcombe, KS and to disruptions wrought by COVID-19.

The report—Boxed Beef & Fed Cattle Price Spread Investigation Report—details market conditions and prices before, during and after those events, although the pandemic continues.

Keep in mind this USDA investigation does not examine potential violations of the Packers and Stockyards Act. USDA continues to cooperate with the Department of Justice Antitrust Division in that agency’s current investigation.

Instead, the report provides the logic and details behind the price reactions of the two black swan events: higher wholesale beef prices and lower fed cattle prices spawned by disruption to packing capacity and by altered demand flow, in the case of the pandemic.

“Frankly speaking, the report released by USDA did not reveal anything that was not already known,” Griffith says. “It appeared to be less of an investigation and more of a simple analysis and report of the data. Something further could come of this report, but it is highly unlikely any type of investigation is going to result in findings of the packers doing something illegal. Packers were taking advantage of what the market was offering.”

Friday to Friday Change

Weekly Auction Receipts

CME Feeder Index

*Thursday-to Thursday for CME Feeder Index

Cash Stocker and Feeder

North Central

South Central

Southeast

(AMS National Weekly Feeder & Stocker Cattle Summary)

Wholesale Beef Value

Futures

Equities

Renewed optimism continued in cattle markets last week, bolstered by strong week-to-week gains in Cattle futures prices. Traders are apparently looking beyond the current backlog of fed cattle.

Calves and feeder cattle sold mixed. Steers and heifers in the South Central region traded $3-$4/cwt. higher, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). In the North Central and Southeast regions, though, they sold from $3 lower to $1 higher.

AMS analysts note, “There was a big increase in North Central prices last week, due to some annual specials that bring high-quality, reputation, one-iron brand strings of cattle to town.” 

Feeder Cattle futures closed an average of $4.44 higher week to week on Friday ($2.95 higher to $6.95 higher in spot Aug).

“The market for heavier feeder cattle is beginning to gain some steam, which is a typical seasonal pattern,” explains Andrew P. Griffith, agricultural economist at the University of Tennessee, in his weekly market comments. “The August Feeder cattle contract traded to its highest level since March 4 and has gained more than $6 since the Independence Day holiday. The August Feeder Cattle contract is still $14 lower than its contract high set in early January, but it is also $26 higher than its contract low set in early April. It is probably not feasible for the market to move back above the $150 mark for the August contract, but it could still have some upside potential given its slow and steady ascent back to its current level.”

On the other hand, Griffith notes summer heat and seasonality are weighing on calf prices. “The prices will continue to be pushed lower in the fall as the run of spring born calves make their way to market,” he says.

In the latest monthly Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook (LDPO), analysts with USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) say expected higher fed cattle slaughter and increased feedlot marketings should improve demand for feeder cattle heading into the third quarter.

ERS projects the average feeder steer price (basis Oklahoma City) at $133/cwt. in the third quarter and $131 in the fourth quarter for an annual average of $131.70. Prices are projected at $129 in the first quarter of next year and at $132 in the second.

Of course, dry conditions could have plenty to say about late-summer markets.

“For the first time this year, over 50% of the country is in some sort of drought designation,” say AMS analysts. “The last time that occurred was the week ending Sept. 18, 2018, when the country was coming off a historical drought.”

Specifically, 51.4% of the continental U.S. was designated from abnormally dry to Extreme Drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor for July 14. At the same time last year, it was 9.79%.

For the week ending July 12, 36% of the nation’s pasture and range was rated in Good or Excellent condition, which was 32% less than last year, according to USDA’s Crop Progress report. Conversely, 30% was rated in Poor or Very Poor condition, compared to 8% at the same time last year.

Fed Cattle Prices Firm

Negotiated cash fed cattle prices were mainly steady last week.

The weighted average five-area direct fed steer price through Thursday was $96.32/cwt. on a  live basis, which was 35¢higher than the previous week, but $16.70 less than the same week last year. The average steer price in the beef was $157.58, which was 9¢less than the previous week and $25.39 less than a year earlier.

Live Cattle futures closed an average of $1.89 higher week to week on Friday ($1.05 higher to $3.27 higher in spot Aug).

“The October Live Cattle futures contract gained $6 since the beginning of July, while the December Live Cattle contract gained about $5.50 over that same timeframe,” Griffith says. “These prices still do not put finished cattle where cattle feeders want them, but there is a lot of time between now and the fall marketing time period for cattle to keep creeping higher. Another point of optimism is the fact that current cash prices have found a steady state instead of continuing to decline. The steep decline through the spring did not bode well for summer market prices, but they are holding their ground well given seasonal pressure.”

However, ERS lowered forecast fed steer prices by $4 to $100/cwt. in the third quarter and by $3 in the fourth quarter to $103.

“Despite slaughter rates having stabilized near year-ago levels, there continues to be a large volume of market-ready cattle supplies available for slaughter,” say ERS analysts, in the LDPO. “Based on the USDA Cattle on Feed report for June, the number of cattle that have been on feed over 150 days grew to 971,000 head, or 42% more than last year. Further, wholesale beef prices declined rapidly from recent peaks to below year-ago levels, marking a sharp turnaround.”

Retail Beef Prices Still Elevated

Choice boxed beef values last week sank to the lowest levels since December of 2017, according to AMS.

Choice boxed beef cutout value was $4.03 lower week to week on Friday at $200.47/cwt. Select was $3.98 lower at $190.31.

Renewed packing capacity and cattle slaughter is behind normalizing wholesale values, while heavier carcasses are adding extra pressure.

ERS increased forecast beef production for this year by 260 million pounds, compared to the prior month, to 26.9 billion lbs., just about 1% less than last year.

At the same time, retail beef prices remain high, relative to current production, following the price surge in the wake of coronavirus disruptions.

Retail Choice beef value in June was nearly $7.56/lb.. That was a tick lower than in May but $1.05 higher than in January, according to Griffith. The all fresh retail beef price was around $7.38/lb., up 34¢ from May and $1.46 more compared to January.

“Retailers were forced to push prices higher rather rapidly in April and May due to reduced supply of beef from lower cattle slaughter,” Griffith explains. “Though prices escalated quickly at the retail level, it is doubtful they will decline as quickly. Retailers are looking to make up for the losses they likely incurred during late March and April. Therefore, it will be a long slow march through the rest of the year as retail beef prices soften. There is no guarantee the prices will be back to pre-COVID-19 levels by the end of the year.”

Friday to Friday Change

Weekly Auction Receipts

CME Feeder Index

*Thursday-to Thursday for CME Feeder Index

Cash Stocker and Feeder

North Central

South Central

Southeast

(AMS National Weekly Feeder & Stocker Cattle Summary)

Wholesale Beef Value

Futures

Equities