WLI

Negotiated cash fed cattle trade continued steady to firm Thursday with live sales at $124/cwt. in Nebraska and at $125 in the western Corn Belt. Dressed sales were at $199 in Nebraska and at $198.00-$199.50 in the western Corn Belt. For the week, live sales in the Southern Plains also were steady at $124.

Cattle futures weakened, though, closing down triple digits, amid active trade. Pressure could have included the bounce higher in nearby Corn futures, demand wonderments related to the global spread of the coronavirus, as well as positioning ahead of the monthly Cattle on Feed report (see below) that will be released Friday afternoon. Definitive explanations were elusive, though.

Live Cattle futures close an average of $1.88 lower.

Feeder Cattle futures closed an average of $2.40 lower for an average of $3.47 lower in the last two sessions.

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

Choice boxed beef cutout value was 36¢ higher Thursday afternoon at $215.32/cwt. Select was 82¢ lower at $211.20.

Corn futures closed 4¢ to 5¢ higher through the front three contracts and then mostly 1¢ to 2¢ higher.

Soybean futures closed 3¢ to 4¢ lower in the front six contracts and then mostly 1¢ to 4¢ higher. 

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Major U.S. financial indices closed narrowly mixed Thursday. Most of the unease seemed to continue to stem from the spread of novel coronavirus. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) offered some optimism in a statement.

“On 22 January, the members of the Emergency Committee expressed divergent views on whether this event constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) or not,” according to the statement. “At that time, the advice was that the event did not constitute a PHEIC, but the Committee members agreed on the urgency of the situation and suggested that the Committee should be reconvened in a matter of days to examine the situation further.”

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 26 points lower. The S&P 500 closed 3 points higher. The NASDAQ was up 18 points.

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Heading into Friday’s monthly Cattle on Feed report, analysts surveyed by Urner Barry expected, on average, December feedlot placements to be 3.3% higher year over year, according to the Daily Livestock Report.

Those analysts expect to see December marketings up 5.3% and total cattle on feed Jan. 1—in feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity—to be up 2.1%.

In the meantime, cattle feeding economics grow more positive, according to the most recent Historical and Projected Kansas Feedlot Net Returns, from Kansas State University.

Net returns projected for closeouts in December are +$51.13 per head for steers and +$40.44 per head for heifers, according to the report. That’s with estimated feedlot cost of gain (FCOG) of $89.49/cwt. for steers and $95.78 for heifers.

Moreover, the report projects positive net returns for steers in six of the next eight months, counting January with a range of -$12.44 (June) to +$122.26 (January) with FCOG of $85.75 (July) to $94.77 (February).

KSU projects positive net returns for heifers in the next eight months, ranging from +$3.60 (August) to +$146.75 (January) with FCOG of $93.01 (August) to $99.88 (February).

Keep in mind that these estimates are cash to cash and do not account for price risk management.

Negotiated cash fed cattle trade and demand was moderate in the Southern Plains through Wednesday afternoon, with live prices steady with the prior week at $124/cwt.

That matched the weighted average price of $124 for the single lot (112 head) of Kansas heifers that sold in the weekly Fed Cattle Exchange auction. The total offering was 561 head (four lots).

Likewise, Choice steers and heifers sold steady at the fat auction in Tama, IA with 123 head of Ch 2-3 steers bringing an average price of $125.84 at an average weight of 1,472 lbs.

At Sioux Falls Regional in South Dakota, though, slaughter steers sold steady to $1 lower: 223 head of Ch 2-3 steers weighing an average of 1,569 lbs. and bringing an average price of $120.06.

Cattle futures softened Wednesday, led by Feeder Cattle, as the lack of detail and purchases associated with the phase-one trade deal between the U.S. and China continues to create unease in commodity markets.

Other than 2¢ higher in away Apr, Live Cattle futures close an average of 36¢ lower.

Feeder Cattle futures closed an average of $1.07 lower (45¢ to $1.62 lower).

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

Choice boxed beef cutout value was 45¢ higher Wednesday afternoon at $214.96/cwt. Select was $1.45 lower at $212.02.

Corn futures closed mostly unchanged to 1¢ lower.

Soybean futures closed fractionally lower to 2¢ lower.

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Major U.S. financial indices closed mixed and little changed Wednesday. Competing news included more positive quarterly earnings than expected from IBM and the previous day’s confirmation of coronavirus in a Chinese traveler in Seattle.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 9 points lower. The S&P 500 closed fractionally higher. The NASDAQ was up 12 points.

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Total pounds of beef in freezers as of Dec. 31 were 1% more than the previous month at 481.01 million lbs., but down 3% from the previous year, according to USDA’s monthly Cold Storage report released Wednesday.

Frozen pork supplies were up 1% from the previous month at 580.1 million lbs., which was 15% more than a year earlier.

Total red meat supplies in freezers were 1.01 billion lbs., up 1% from the previous month and up 5% from the prior year.

Total frozen poultry supplies were down 1% from the previous month but up 1% from a year earlier at 1.20 billion lbs.

Cattle futures closed narrowly mixed on Tuesday, amid lackluster trade and little direction.

Other than 2¢ higher in spot Feb, Live Cattle futures close an average of 9¢ lower.

Feeder Cattle futures closed narrowly mixed, from an average of 26¢ lower across the front half of the board to an average of 20¢ higher across the back half.  

Wholesale beef values were steady on moderate demand and moderate to heavy offerings, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service.

Choice boxed beef cutout value was 13¢ lower Tuesday afternoon at $214.51/cwt. Select was 1¢ lower at $213.47. Other than a single day last February, the Choice-Select spread the past four days ($1.04 to $1.43) is the narrowest since September of 2017.

Corn futures closed 1¢ lower across the front half of the board and then fractionally lower.

Soybean futures closed 10¢ to 13¢ lower through Sep ’20 and then mostly 6¢ to 7¢ lower.

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Major U.S. financial indices closed lower Tuesday, with some of the pressure reportedly stemming from confirmation of coronavirus in a Chinese traveler in Seattle and the potential impact on international travel and tourism.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 152 points lower. The S&P 500 closed 8 points lower. The NASDAQ was down 18 points.

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USDA adjusted forecast fourth-quarter 2019 beef production 15 million lbs. higher than the previous month to 7.0 billion lbs., based on the increased pace of non-fed cattle slaughter in December, especially beef cow slaughter.

In the latest monthly Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook, analysts with USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) say beef cow slaughter is significantly higher since the third quarter last year—13% to 25% more than the same period a year earlier, for the first four weeks of December. That’s based on weekly Actual Slaughter Under Federal Inspection reports.

“Since the week ending Nov. 15, prices for live cutter cows have remained more than 10% above prices for the same period a year ago. This, coupled with tight forage supplies for some producers, has likely encouraged higher culling rates” ERS analysts explain.

As for fed cattle, more feedlot placements than expected last month point toward increased fed cattle marketing and beef production in the second quarter this year than originally anticipated, according to ERS.

“However, because those calves were likely placed in feedlots rather than remaining on winter wheat pastures as expected, the placement forecast for first-half 2020 was reduced,” say ERS analysts. “As a result, fewer fed cattle marketings are anticipated in second-half 2020, contributing to less expected beef production during that time.”

Cattle futures and equity markets were closed Monday, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

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

Choice boxed beef cutout value was 47¢ higher Monday afternoon at $214.64/cwt. Select was 73¢ higher at $213.48.

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Despite last year’s many weather challenges, Derrell Peel, Extension livestock marketing specialist at Oklahoma State University notes that total Dec. 1 hay stocks were 6.9% more year over year at 84.488 million tons. However, he adds the total is 5.4% less than the average for 2014-18.

“Hay stocks were generally up year over year in the Western, Mountain and Plains states, and the Corn Belt, but down in the Great Lakes, Appalachian and Eastern regions,” Peel explains, in his weekly market comments. “Missouri had the largest hay stocks and showed the most increase year over year with stocks up 64.3%, the highest level for the state since 2009. Among the top 10 states for hay stocks, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Tennessee had year over year declines.

According to recent USDA data, Peel says total production of all hay was 128.864 million tons, which was 4.3% more year over year—consisting of 42.6% alfalfa hay and 57.4% other hay. Total hay production was 2.4% below the 2014-2018 average.

“Total hay supplies appear to be generally adequate, although quality may be an issue in some instances,” Peel says. “However, average hay prices are projected to increase 2-4% over the previous crop year. Regionally, the tightest supplies appear to be in the Southeast, Appalachian and Great Lakes regions. Nebraska stands out as a major hay state with decreased production and stocks but surrounded on all sides by states with increased year over year hay production.”

Negotiated cash fed cattle trade through Friday afternoon was steady on a live basis in the Southern Plains and Nebraska at $124/cwt., but $1 lower in the western Corn Belt at $123-$125. Dressed sales were steady to $2 lower at $198-$200.

Cattle futures closed mixed on Friday, but with a firmer feel in Live Cattle as traders positioned ahead of the three-day weekend.

Other than unchanged and 5¢ lower in the back three contracts, Live Cattle futures close an average of 33¢ higher.

Other than 17¢ and 7¢ higher in two nearby contracts, Feeder Cattle futures closed an average of 43¢ lower amid light trade.

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

Choice boxed beef cutout value was $1.27 higher Friday afternoon at $214.17/cwt. Select was $1.28 higher at $212.75.

Corn futures closed 12¢ to 13¢ higher in the front three contracts and then mostly 5¢ to 8¢ higher, basically recovering what was lost in the previous session.

Soybean futures closed 2¢ to 5¢ higher. 

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Major U.S. financial indices closed higher Friday, amid positive quarterly corporate earnings and economic news that included a surge in housing starts.

Privately-owned housing starts in December were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,608,000, which was 16.9% more than the revised November estimate, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 50 points higher. The S&P 500 closed 12 points higher. The NASDAQ was up 31 points.

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“Wholesale beef prices are below year-ago levels, but packers continue to pay slightly higher prices than a year ago to bid cattle out of the feedlots, despite weaker margins,” says analysts with USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS), in the monthly Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook, describing factors for updated first-quarter price forecasts.

“This strength was carried into first-quarter 2020, and that price forecast was raised by $3 to $125/cwt. (fed steer). However, larger numbers of cattle are expected to be available for marketing during the second quarter, which is expected to moderate prices. The 2020 average price for fed steers is forecast at $117.50.”

ERS also increased expectations for first-quarter feeder steer prices (750-800 lbs., basis Oklahoma City).

“Based on recent price data and fewer expected cattle overwintering on pasture, the price forecast for first-quarter 2020 feeder steers was raised by $4 to $144/cwt. The second-quarter 2020 price forecast was raised $2 to $144.00. The fourth-quarter 2020 price forecast was raised by $1 to $145 on expected feedlot demand. The 2020 annual price forecast for feeder steers was raised by $2 to $145.”