Sort & Cull

I sat down at my computer early Monday morning, took a sip of my coffee, began to glance at emails that accumulated over the weekend and then flipped to my calendar which displayed one of the busiest weeks the market had in a long time.

This week we will have all the normal market ins and outs -- daily USDA reports showing boxed beef prices, slaughter trends and other reports such as fed cattle sales and volumes -- but cattlemen will be keen to watch Superior's Corn Belt Classic Sale, as well as the Cattle on Feed Report on Friday.

Most importantly, cattlemen are going to be tuned in for the first big online sale of the year. Starting on June 17 at 7:30 a.m. CDT, and running through June 18, Superior is cataloged to sell more than 100,000 head which will give cattlemen their first look at what feeder cattle prices may be later this fall, and what bred cows could be worth this fall as well.

Feeder cattle prices have been record high; just last week, June 13, the CME feeder cattle index closed at $317.10, as buyers know that there simply aren't enough calves/feeders to go around, so if they desire to feed cattle this fall they've got to be aggressive early this spring/summer to procure the number of cattle they need. Not to mention, with feeder cattle imports from Mexico being suspended until further notice, feeder cattle buyers aren't seeing supplemental numbers imported into the U.S. at this time. To date, there have been 223,508 head of Mexican feeder cattle imported in the U.S. this year, which is only 35% of what had been imported at this time last year.

So, all eyes and ears are going to be fixated on the market this week as these prices are truly beyond what anyone expected. And to my fellow cattlemen, as the old saying goes: Make hay while the sun shines! These prices won't stick around forever, so be wise about your marketing strategy and secure profits for your operation.

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Editor's Note: Get ahead of the herd with the latest insights on the cattle market's changing cycle. Join us on June 24, from 10 a.m. CDT to noon for an in-depth analysis of how weather patterns, trade disruptions, and drought are reshaping the beef industry's traditional 10-year cycle. Oklahoma State University Livestock Marketing Specialist Dr. Derrell Peel shares what the cowherd of the future will look like, while DTN experts share details on weather conditions for forage and pastures, hay market dynamics and what it all means for fat and live cattle prices. Register for free here: https://dtn.link/….

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