Sort & Cull

Feedlots typically avoid trading cattle in the midst of high wind gusts and snow blowing sideways; however, this week's trade could easily fall either way.

The challenge when looking at reports like the USDA Cattle Inventory reports is keeping perspective.

Friday's placement increases of 1% didn't end up devastating the market's recent accomplishments, but it's important to remember that all situations must be looked at individually as the market is constantly changing.

Significant changes in the restaurant and food service industry during the COVID-19 pandemic continue to create a significant long-term impact on meat demand. According to a recent survey by the National Restaurant Association, nearly one in five restaurants have closed...

As cattlemen, traders and analysts alike, we tend to want to look at the cattle market and dismiss outside factors and instead focus solely on cattle and the cattle market. But, in reality, outside factors can have some of the biggest impacts on our marketplace.

Regardless of what year the market faces, challenges and opportunities will always be present. Trying to analytically avoid the traps of the marketplace that could hinder you is always an everchanging and sleep-robbing problem if you're invested in the cattle market.

Even though packers tried telling feedlots, for more than a month, that they weren't going to be aggressive during the Christmas holiday, last week's weighted averages speak differently.

The December Cattle on Feed report released last Friday came in as expected with lower feeder cattle placements in November. However, yearly placements are well below previous years, creating concerns that can't be accounted for by feedlot numbers.

Whether you're a cow-calf producer looking to market your steer calves or a feedlot looking to move a group of fat cattle, it's vital to remember you hold the cards; you decide when those cattle move and for what price.

Knowing the short- and long-term market ranges can help give insight into the direction and activity levels of the cattle market. The wild moves in boxed beef during the last month have been unnerving for all market watchers, but knowing that prices have not escaped a...

Waning boxed beef prices will continue to pressure the market throughout the year's end, but safeguarding profitability is key. Fighting for the market to trade at least steady is always better than seeing it drop $2 to $4 lower.

Understanding how the holidays can pressure the marketplace is vital and it's important to keep in perspective what's true market data and facts, and what are just holiday jitters affecting the market.

With plenty of unknowns already developing for 2021 to answer, cattlemen and feedlots alike cannot afford to let today's opportunity pass them by.

Soon we will prepare for tax season and print off those profit/loss summaries and expense sheets that can been brutally painful. However, instead of avoiding them, it's time to dive into the fine details and see where changes can be made.

Within the last three weeks, the bred cow market has turned ripe for a buying excursion.

Until the election is officially over and it's clear who our new president will be for the next four years, it won't be surprising to see the market hesitate like the rest of America is doing.

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.