Sort & Cull

Following last week's lower prices and heightened pressure, the cattle industry aims to find footing amid an uncertain and distressed time.

Total open interest in live cattle futures has tumbled lower throughout October. Following slow but steady gains from May through September, traders are quickly liquidating positions, further pressuring live cattle futures. Sustained price support needs active and strong trader...

The problem with such vast limits is that the market is volatile day in and day out regardless of what's happening fundamentally. Producers can be attuned to the market's happenings and the dynamics of outside factors, but with the market's new platform, cattle contracts sit...

There would be no argument in saying that the basis for a strong and successful beef industry starts with the cow herd. But cow slaughter numbers are just as important to beef production as a stringent reproductive and nutrition program.

Drought conditions and the cost of carrying calves over into a different market can be so burdensome that producers are left with no other choice but to send their calves to town and let the market be what it is. But adversely, rising corn prices put the skids on buyers as...

The hours put into raising calves to their market date is exponential and too often producers get caught in the trap of doing things as they always have done and miss potential profits that could have been gained from new opportunities or marketing avenues.

When the cattle marketing system is altered from historical patterns, producers will see unusual marketing for a long time.

A trip through our great nation makes one realize just how vast and wide reaching the cattle industry really is. When state beef cattle totals are broken down, it becomes very clear that the beef industry is a nationwide endeavor.

Heading into this week, and seeing what potential opportunities could be around the corner, feedlots could have another opportunity to rally the cash cattle market.

As hard as it may be, we must separate ourselves, our operations and our assets from the emotional roller coaster of the marketplace.

Feeder cattle prices have rallied significantly over the past four months and currently remain above year-ago levels, but markets remain at significantly below-average levels, creating concern of continued low prices.

Until mid-October, cattle contracts tend to retract and withdraw as boxed beef prices fall, and cash cattle prices weaken. But for cow-calf producers preparing to sell calves later this fall, stay attuned to the market to avoid playing catch-up down the road.

The traditional way to summarize the USDA Cattle on Feed report -- and many reports -- is to measure percentage change from the previous year. This works well when markets follow normal seasonal patterns, but changing market patterns limit the reliability of this metric.

Given the spring's uncertainty, producers didn't want to market their calves and feeders in the hype of the COVID-19 pandemic and risk volatile prices. But as time has progressed, feeders are pouring into feedlots as the market has gotten stronger.

The market's ability to rally over the last two months has surprised most, but many wonder how the market will fare after Labor Day.

This past year has seen unprecedented market swings and changes through the cattle industry, making it uncertain just how closely seasonal trends should be followed. Even though markets remain volatile, a look back may indicate market movement in the coming weeks and...

In hindsight, the 2019 Tyson packing plant fire has a different feel to it than it did at the time. Now, with having endured a packing plant fire and a disease outbreak, there's nothing cattlemen can't handle.

Just as perplexing as the feeder cattle rally has been, last week cows sold quite well at Superior's Video Royale sale.

The cattle marketing calendar we have become accustomed to isn't what we will face in the second half of 2020.

This upcoming week is a busy one for the cattle market as the industry prepares for the Cattle on Feed report, the Bi-Annual Cattle Inventory report and another great test for the feeder cattle market as Northern Livestock Video Auction ramps up for its sale this...